Nepal's Maoist rebels this evening they were sticking to their demand for a new constitution and further talks aimed at ending a bloody revolt would be "meaningless" until the government agreed.
The government, in a meeting with the rebels last week, had refused their demand for elections for an assembly to prepare a new constitution to define the role of the king, but both agreed to study respective stands before fresh talks for which no dates have been fixed.
The government says it was ready for a "round table" meeting with key political parties as demanded by the guerrillas and give Maoists a share in an interim government to end their seven-year-old revolt which has claimed more than 7,200 lives.
The rebels have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and set up a communist republic in the world's only Hindu Kingdom.
Last week the United States said the rebels and the government should continue to work towards a negotiated settlement for the conflict that has also hit impoverished Nepal's economy.