'We should stop killing each other'

NEPAL: Soldiers and rebels in Nepal are trading words instead of bullets.

Maoist rebels - who declared a cease-fire in April after King Gyanendra was forced to end 14 months of authoritarian rule - have been holding informal talks with their former foes and attending regional town meetings, The Kathmandu Post reported Tuesday.

"We are fighting for the sake of the people," rebel Hari Bahadur Budhakoti was quoted as telling a soldier in Bhojpur town. "But who are you waging this war for?"

"I don't know," the soldier replied. "You didn't let us visit our family and relatives. You also continued the abductions, beatings, torture and murder."

"We are just brothers ... come and join us. Together we will lead this revolution," another rebel, identified only as Ananta, was quoted as saying.

Katmandu,Tuesday AP