Nepal's government must prevent the political indoctrination of children and protect the rights of minors affected by a 10-year insurgency that ended with a peace accord with rebels last year, the United Nations said.

``Children might face further violence and manipulation, if necessary precautionary measures are not adopted,'' Unicef, the UN Children's Fund, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in statement yesterday.

Children were abused through indoctrination, manipulation and exposure to violence in the conflict that killed 13,000 people, the UN agencies said. There are about 5.6 million children of 14 years of age and below in the country of 28 million people, according to U.S. government data.

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which fought to replace the monarchy with a republic, signed a peace agreement with the government last November. The Maoists this week joined an interim cabinet that will organize elections in June for an assembly to change the constitution and decide the fate of King Gyanendra's 238-year-old dynasty.

Laws are needed to ban the use of schools by ``all political actors'' and prevent schoolchildren being forced to take part in political activities, Unicef and the OHCHR said.

The CPN (Maoist) and governing parties committed themselves in February to ensuring that children released from armed groups are not used for political propaganda, the UN agencies said, according to the UN's Web site.

Code of Conduct

A code of conduct being drawn up for the June elections should include a pledge by political parties ``not to ask, encourage or force children in schools to participate in any political gathering or demonstration,'' they said.

The eight main political parties, including the CPN (Maoist) group, agreed this week that the election will be held June 20, Nepalnews.com reported. The rebel party will hold five posts in a 22-member cabinet, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala announced April 1, saying the nation has reached a crossroads between success and failure, Nepalnews.com said at the time.

The new government is a ``key moment'' in Nepal's peace process, Ian Martin, the UN envoy to the country, said in a statement this week. The administration needs to create conditions for credible elections and address the demands of groups in Nepal that seek ``more inclusive democracy,'' he said.

Nepal's progress toward elections has been delayed by demonstrations and strikes by minority groups demanding that the new constitution guarantees their political rights, including proportional representation and a degree of autonomy. There are more than 40 ethnic groups in the country.

Economic Growth

The insurgency stifled an economy that depends on tourism for foreign exchange. The country, located between China and India, is home to Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, and eight other of the world's 14 peaks higher than 8,000 meters (26,248 feet).

November's peace settlement will allow the government to cut defense spending and economic growth in 2007 may reach 5 percent, Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said last July.

About 42 percent of Nepalese live below the poverty line and 80 percent of them rely on agriculture for a livelihood.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net .