The rebels demanded an end to "police repression"

Mr Deuba did not say when and where the meeting took place.

Earlier, the rebels had demanded that the government stop police repression, release the arrested Maoist workers and investigate alleged police excesses.

Attacks

It is not clear why the rebels dropped the other demands but the reported softening of their stand has come after the government stepped-up security measures following fierce rebel attacks on government targets.

Twenty-two policemen were killed in two separate attacks last month and, since then, there has been speculation that the army would be brought in to tackle the rebels for the first time since the Maoist insurgency started in 1996.

But analysts say the latest overture could mount pressure on the government to start peace talks with the rebels who are fighting for a communist republic.

Both the government and the rebels are under pressure from other political parties and human rights organisations to immediately initiate dialogue and end the chain of violence which has claimed 1,500 lives in four years.

All efforts to bring the government and the rebels to the negotiating table so far have failed.