Nepal Maoists and the government today formally cleared the deck for UN assistance in the peace process, sending a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to monitor arms of both sides.

The letter, however, remains vague on the question of separation of arms and combatants of rebels as suggested by the UN team which was here last week.

The letter, despatched separately by Prime Minister G P Koirala and Maoist chief Prachanda, has identical content and simply asks the UN to assist in the ‘‘management of arms and armed personnel of both the sides.’’ The letter was sent to meet the deadline set by the UN team led by Staffan De Mistura before its departure to New York.

At the moment, the letter authorises the UN to ‘‘monitor and verify the confinement of Maoist combatants and their weapons within the designated cantonment areas’’ done through civilian personnel.

The understanding in having the common draft does not however pave the way for immediate inclusion of Maoists in the proposed interim government, as Koirala has made it clear that Maoists would not be included in the government with arms under their possession. He is also under pressure from the US, UK, India and EU not to include Maoists with arms in the government.

The Maoists were much more lenient on the question of the Nepal Army being treated at par with the rebels. All that the UN has been asked is to ‘‘monitor the Nepal Army to ensure that it remains in its barracks and its weapons are not used for or against any side.’’