Bhaktapur Guest House, which has become a favourite among the Maoist leaders, was packed on Monday. It was the first time that Ian Martin, the UN Secretary General's personal representative, and members of the government and Maoist talks teams met together along with other leaders.

Sources say the Maoists looked more enthusiastic than the government people when UN officials talked about conflict resolution experiences in other countries.

The UN officials made three suggestions. First, solve the political issues fast. Second, every country has its own model for weapons management. In some countries both armies are treated equally, in others not. A model used in one country may not work for another and you should decide on the method together.

We will not make suggestions. Third, start working on confidence-building measures.

Baburam Bhattarai suggested that the weapons of the state and the Maoists could be locked up in a barracks and the UN could monitor the situation. The government team had no suggestions.