Nepal ? Nepal’s new Cabinet sought Wednesday to end a bloody decade-old Maoist insurgency that has killed 13,000 people in this Himalayan kingdom, matching the rebels’ cease-fire declaration and saying the government will no longer label them “terrorists.”

It was a dramatic turn for the rebels, who appear headed for a role in the political mainstream after joining with a seven-party alliance in a campaign of street protests that forced King Gyandendra to relinquish power last week.

Deputy Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli urged the rebels to join peace talks and said all terrorism-related charges against them will be dropped. The government also will ask Interpol to quash international arrest warrants for the Maoists’ leaders.