The U.S. Embassy in Nepal says the American ambassador has met with the leader of the country’s former communist rebels.

The group recently won the most seats in Nepal’s new governing assembly.

A statement issued by the embassy says U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell met with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, even though the U.S. still considers his organization to be a terrorist group.

The group is formally called the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

It was the first meeting between U.S. officials and the Maoists, who are still listed as a terrorist organization despite joining mainstream politics and securing the most seats in last month’s election for a constitution-drafting assembly.