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KATHMANDU, March 20 (AFP) - The leader of Nepal's Maoist rebels, currently waging a bloody insurgency against government forces, Wednesday declared the country a safe place for tourists and urged them not to be dissuaded by government "propaganda".

In a statement faxed to local media and foreign missions, Baburam Bhattarai said tourists were welcome to visit rebel strongholds in rural areas of the country, but warned them not go to areas where the guerrillas were fighting the army as they might get caught in the crossfire.

"Given the exquisite natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of the country, the promotion of tourism obviously comes high in the priority list of the future economic development policy," he said.

"Tourists are, therefore, most welcome in the country and will be so in future as well."

Bhattarai is a senior leader of the Maoists, who have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.

More than 2,700 people have been killed since the start of the insurgency and around a third of the deaths have been since November, when the Maoists broke a four-month ceasefire.

In response the government introduced a state of emergency and deployed the army for the first time to fight the rebels.

Publicity about the violence has badly affected the Nepalese tourist industry and a number of countries issued advisories against travelling to some areas of the country, although the Maoists have never targeted tourists.

"Are we against the tourism industry in general and foreign tourists in particular? Nothing could be farther from the truth," Bhattarai said.

"They are most welcome into the revolutionary base areas which are already under the control of the revolutionary forces."

But he said they should not venture into areas where fighting was going on.

"During wartime, the unassuming travellers can be caught in the crossfire of the contending armies."

He said the Maoists were fighting to set up genuine democracy in the country and claimed the government had made false accusations that the Maoists were xenophobic.

"This is another example of the sinister misinformation campaign deliberately launched by the counter-revolutionary forces," Bhattarai said.

The Maoists have been seen as anti-Indian, accusing Nepal's huge neighbour of interfering in internal matters, but Bhattarai made a special appeal to Indian tourists.

"Despite the conspiracy of the ruling classes of both the countries to drive a wedge between the peoples of Nepal and India, we are conscious of their common destiny," he said.

"We are for developing a close and cordial relations between the two. You are, therefore, welcome to visit Nepal," Bhattarai added.

Nepal's prime minister is due to visit India Wednesday for an official visit, during which he is expected to discuss the Maoist rebellion and ask for helicopters and arms to control the guerrillas. 

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