New York - The UN Security Council Thursday extended the mandate of the UN political mission in Nepal for another six months.

The unanimous decision to keep the 750 UN mission members in Nepal was in accord with a request form Kathmandu. Mission head Karin Landgren called the decision on Thursday in New York an important step to pushing forward the peace process in the world's youngest republic.

The priority was to help integrate the former Maoist fighters and support the process of drawing up a constitution, she said.

After more then 10 years of constant fighting between Maoist rebels and royal troops ended in late 2007, the centuries-old monarchy was dismantled. The UN mission UNMIN arrived on January 23, 2007, with a mandate to support the peace process.

Efforts have reaced a stalemate, Landgren said, urging the government as well as the Maoists to cooperate in a pragmatic fashion.(dpa)