India and US call for restoration of democracy in Nepal

NEW DELHI, Wednesday (AFP) India and the United States called jointly Wednesday for a return to multi-party democracy in Nepal, saying the seizure of power in the Himalayan outpost by King Gyanendra was a "setback" for the region.

The call was made at a joint press conference between Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after they had held talks in the Indian capital, where Rice kicked off a six-nation tour of Asia.

"We discussed important regional and global questions. We approached these issues (on the basis of) our common commitment to democracy, pluralism and prosperity," Singh said. "On Nepal we agreed that recent events have been a setback to these goals. Democratic freedoms must be restored and reconciliation with political parties must lead to a return to a multi-party democracy in Nepal," he added. Gyanendra dismissed a four-party coalition government on February 1 and seized control of Nepal, imposing emergency rule and vowing to tackle an increasingly bloody Maoist revolt that has claimed 11,000 lives since 1996.

The power grab has been widely condemned internationally, with India and Britain freezing military aid needed by Nepal's badly-equipped army to fight the Maoists while Washington has threatened to follow suit unless the king restores basic freedoms. "There needs to be a return to democracy in Nepal," Rice said in an interview with Indian television station NDTV.

At the joint press conference with Singh she said India and the US shared "regional responsibilities but also increasingly global responsibilities".