India, April 19 -- The outlawed CPI (Maoist) has made a renewed appeal for peace and a halt to the government's anti-naxal operations, reiterating its demand for a one-month ceasefire from both sides as a necessary step to begin a formal dialogue.

A statement in this regard was issued by CPI (Maoist)'s North-West Sub-Zonal Bureauin charge Rupesh on April 17, a week after a similar letter was released by the outfit.

In the purported statement dated April 17, Rupesh thanked Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma for responding promptly to his earlier proposal for peace talks made on April 8. He also expressed gratitude for the government's assurance of safety and the openness to proceed with negotiations.

Sharma, however, speaki...