Maoists, alliance in India to plan end of Nepali King's rule

INDIA: Leaders of Nepal's Maoist rebels and the opposition alliance were meeting in the Indian capital on Tuesday to work out a programme to end King Gyanendra's seizure of power, a report said.

The talks came as the rebels launched a week-long blockade of the kingdom's cities, leaving roads deserted nationwide and businesses closed in the capital.

The Maoists' second-in command Baburam Bhattarai was holding talks with heads of the seven-party political alliance on how to restore democracy, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said.

The Maoists and opposition parties formed a loose alliance last November aimed at restoring democracy after Gyanendra seized power in February 2005.

The leaders representing the mainstream parties included Bamdev Gautam of the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), and Krishna Sitola of Nepali Congress, Nepal's biggest party, the agency said, quoting unidentified sources.

The discussions, expected to continue for the next three or four days, were aimed at sorting out differences between the two sides, particularly with regard to "practical difficulties" in implementing the programme they agreed last November, the sources said.

Media reports have said the alliance was in danger of collapsing amid continuing attacks by Maoists in Nepal. The two sides were seeking to evolve a "mechanism" so the Maoists could show their faith in multi-party democracy and a desire to shun violence to return to the political mainstream, PTI said.

The sources said the "people's movement" in Nepal was expected to build up over the next two or three months to increase pressure for the restoration of democracy.

"The aim of the talks is to see how both sides can coordinate their programmes effectively to end King Gyanendra's rule," a Nepalese source told AFP.

Meanwhile Suspected Maoist rebels in restive western Nepal robbed a bank at gunpoint in a daytime heist on Monday, police said.

"Five armed people stormed into the Karnali Development Bank and made away with over 24,000 dollars on Monday morning," said an officer from police headquarters in Kathmandu.

The armed robbery took place in Nepalgunj, a town 510 kilometres (318 miles) west of Kathmandu that has seen fierce clashes between security forces and rebels in recent weeks. - New Delhi, Kathmandu, Thursday, AFP