Wed, Apr 26, 2006 page1

• Nepal's opposition cancels protests after king concedes

  VICTORY Thousands of people gathered in Kathmandu to celebrate winning concessions from the king, but the Maoist rebels said they'd been betrayed by the alliance

  • AP
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  Nepal's opposition alliance called off weeks of pro-democracy protests yesterday and named a former prime minister as its choice to head a new government, after the king gave in to a key demand to reinstate parliament.

  But the Maoist insurgents who supported the demonstrators throughout their often-bloody standoff rejected the king's offer, a sign that the turmoil was not over.

  Opposition leaders, meanwhile, said former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, a veteran politician and head of the country's largest party, the Nepali Congress, was the alliance's choice to head the new government.

  

  People watch from rooftops at a public meeting in Kalanki, on the western edge of Kathmandu, yesterday. Nepal's opposition alliance called off weeks of pro-democracy protests yesterday and named former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala as its choice to head the new government, after King Gyanendra gave in to a key demand to reinstate parliament.

  PHOTO: AP

  Koirala, however, made no immediate comment.

  King Gyanendra's late-night speech -- a pivotal concession which effectively returned authority to elected politicians and could result in a dramatic reduction in royal power -- was welcomed across Kathmandu, and tens of thousands of people gathered in a park in the center of town to celebrate their victory.

  While dozens of riot police were lined up to stop marchers from heading toward the palace, the few people who tried to get past turned back when the police politely asked them.

  The demonstrators said they were thrilled by the return of parliament, but some also remained skeptical of their political leaders, few of whom have much popularity outside their own parties.

  "Nepal is free again, and we're here to make sure it will remain free forever," said demonstrator Sunita Maharjan.

  The Maoists, though, called the king's speech "a conspiracy to protect the regime," according to a statement signed by rebel leader Prachanda and his deputy, Baburam Bhattarai, and e-mailed to journalists.

  They said they had been betrayed by the opposition alliance, with whom they had become allied to oust the king, and vowed to press ahead with blockades that have sealed off major roads for weeks and led to serious shortages of food and fuel in the capital.

  "By accepting the so-called royal proclamation the leaders of these seven political parties have once again made a blunder," said the statement from the Maoists, whose 10-year campaign for power has left more than 13,000 people dead and given them control over much of the countryside.

  The king's announcement, which came near midnight on Monday, followed weeks of mass protests that had threatened to force him from power. The protests sparked clashes with security forces that left 14 demonstrators dead and the country dangerously volatile.

  It remained unclear just what the split between the Maoists and the parties would mean.

  The seven-party alliance, which will take the lead when parliament is reconvened, had said it wanted to pull the Maoists into the political mainstream, and planned to declare a ceasefire with them once a new government was formed.

  "We will work together with the Maoists," Krishna Sitaula, a top Nepali Congress official and alliance spokesman, said after emerging from closed-door discussions among party leaders.

  The opposition also formally called off the protests and strike.
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