Nepal's ultra-leftist rebels Thursday declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire with immediate effect.

"Our party once again, through this statement, announces a unilateral ceasefire for three months with immediate effect," rebel leader Prachanda said in a press statement.

The statement added that the rebels "will not carry out any offensive military action during this period and will remain defensive."

The rebel statement made it clear that the ceasefire is for three months only and "with the intention to encourage the political parties to announce an unconditional special assembly."

The rebels had announced a similar truce in September last year and later extended it by a month.

The latest ceasefire follows Prachanda's announcement that the rebels would end their blockade of the capital, heeding a call from Nepali Congress Party President Girija Prasad Koirala, the opposition alliance's candidate for the post of prime minister.

Koirala has been appointed as the Prime Minister of the next Nepali government by King Gyanendra Thursday.

The meeting of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Committee welcomed the unilateral cease-fire announcement and concluded that the government to be formed should reciprocate it.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the second-largest party in the alliance, also welcomed the announcement, and said the incoming government would likely join the truce.

(China Daily April 28, 2006)