A row in Belgium over arms sales to Nepal has deepened, with one of the parties in the ruling coalition saying it will oppose a deal to sell 5,500 automatic rifles unless tough conditions are attached.

The new Health Minister, Jef Tavernier, said his Flemish environmentalist party, Agalev, would not agree to the sale unless Nepal gave "humanitarian guarantees".

A parliamentary debate on the matter is due on Thursday.

Mr Tavernier was speaking shortly after he was named to replace his fellow Agalev-member, Magda Aelvoet, who resigned over the sale on Monday.

Convictions

The following day, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt described the deal as irrevocable.

The European Union appeared to endorse the contract, saying Nepal was a democratic state fighting an illegal Maoist rebellion, not a country engaged in civil war.

Correspondents say that Mr Tavernier's position increases the chances of a government crisis.

Ms Aelvoet's resignation forced Mr Verhofstadt to issue reassurances about the stability of the six-party coalition government he leads.

"The government has the support of a majority to continue to work until next year, in June," he told reporters.

Ms Aelvoet,said the rifle deal was "incompatible with her personal convictions."

German refusal

A number of leaders from Belgium's Flemish community have also said the deal is illegal, because Belgium law forbids arms exports to countries engaged in a civil war.

Maoist rebels in Nepal have fought a six-year campaign against the authorities, in a conflict which has claimed more than 4,000 lives.

The contract agreed by the Belgians last week was placed with Fabrique Nationale (FN), which is based near Liege in Wallonia.

Ms Aelvoet said the discovery that Germany had refused permission for an arms deal with Nepal had helped confirm her decision.