India, April 2 -- The central committee of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) has issued a statement demanding a halt on operations to initiate peace talks, prompting the Chhattisgarh government to say that it is fully open to dialogue but will not entertain any conditions set by the insurgents.

A statement purportedly released by CPI (Maoist) spokesperson Abhay on April 2, demanded that the central government must commit to an immediate withdrawal of security forces from tribal-dominated areas, halting further deployment of troops in Maoist-affected regions, and complete cessation of counter-insurgency operations like Operation Kagar, to create a conducive environment for peace discussions.

The statement said the Maoists woul...