The High-level Peace Committee (HPC) headed by Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, in its first meeting held in Kathmandu, has officially invited the anti-government insurgents for peace talks.

"The meeting agreed on formulating a common political concept for peace process that the government wanted to end conflict in the country at the earliest," an official from office of the PrimeMinister and Council of Ministers informed Xinhua on Thursday.

The official quoted the prime minister as saying Wednesday's meeting also decided to forge a common political framework for thepeace talks and to let concerned parties to know that the government has now opened all doors to the peace negotiations.

"Let us not disclose the process that will be followed since the dialogue is going to be confidential," Deuba said.

The committee also decided to hold a meeting with facilitators of the previous peace talks to draw up future strategies, the prime minister added.

Deuba hinted that the government will withdraw the terrorist tag and red corner notices on the guerrillas once formal peace talks begins.

About 10,000 Nepalese people have lost their lives since the anti-government insurgency broke out in the Himalayan kingdom in early 1996.

Source: Xinhua