US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca's four-day visit to Nepal was billed as a "fact-finding" mission and follows a series of high-level stopovers in Nepal by senior US and European officials in the past year. But Rocca also took the opportunity to hurl a warning to the Maoists that they may be placed on the US government's terrorist list if they continued with their violent activities.

"Although the Maoists have not yet been put on any official terrorist list," she added, "this step may be taken into consideration if their violence continues unabated." This was not just a general reference to the Maoist attacks on ordinary Nepalis, but officials said it was a warning to the Maoists not to target US-employed personnel in Nepal. Last month, the Maoists took responsibility for killing two Nepali security officials working for the US embassy in Kathmandu last year.

Rocca also said the US was involved in "close and continuing" dialogue with India and other countries on the situation in Nepal and said Washington wanted to see constitutional rule and multiparty democracy flourish in Nepal. She compared the Maoists to the Khmer Rouge and added that violence had to end and the insurgency was not the answer.

"The tactics currently employed by the Maoist insurgents are reminiscent of the tactics of the Pol Pot in the indiscriminate taking of innocent lives, including the forced recruitment and victimisation of innocent children," she added.

While Rocca was in Nepal, the Washington Times newspaper in her capital published an interview with Baburam Bhatarai in which he appeared to answer US concerns point-by-point. Asked for his response to the comparison made between the Maoists and the Khmer Rouge, Bhattarai said that the Khmer Rouge's atrocities had been exaggerated. "There is no independent and authentic account of events in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge available so far," Bhattarai maintained.

Asked about the killing of the embassy security personnel in Kathmandu, Bhattarai said US government employees and American citizens in Nepal were "completely safe". He said the two had been accused of espionage, and added: "Henceforth, if any such charges are levelled against any such employee, the concerned embassy would be advised before taking any actions."