The government has announced a three-member team to hold preliminary talks with the Maoists. This government team will be lead by Home Minister Krishna Prasad Situala and includes Tourism Minister Pradip Gyawali (CPN-UML) and Labour Minister Ramesh Lekhak (NC-D)

The peace coordinating committee has already prepared a code of conduct, which restricts the rebels from conducting armed activities, extortion and intimidation. Similarly, the government is obliged to release all Maoist detainees. According to highly places Maoist sources, Maoist-government negotiations were agreed upon only after the government decided to release all Maoists in government's detention.

While the Home Minister said that the dialogues would take place without further delay, Maoist sources said that the talks would take place on 26 May, Friday. Although the venue and time of the talks is not yet disclosed, our sources said another round of talks would take place outside Kathmandu after Friday's dialogue.

Members of the Maoist talk team Krishna Prasad Mahara and Dina Nath Sharma have been in the capital since Sunday and Deb Gurung, another member of the Maoist talk team has also reportedly arrived in the capital Thursday evening.

Home Minister Sitaula said that the government has already released 467 Maoists and decision was made to release another 100.

Meanwhile the Maoist negotiating team held separate discussions with Sher Bahadur Deuba (NC-D), Nahayan Man Bijukchhe (NWPP) and leaders of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) and discussed the agendas of upcoming talks.