Maoist chief withdraws allegations against Army

Maoist chief Prachanda has withdrawn his allegation that soldiers were killing people and raping women.

After his provocative remarks against the Nepal Army sparked sharp criticism from the force, Maoist chief Prachanda has withdrawn his allegation that soldiers were "killing people and raping women."

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"That was not my intention to blame the entire army, I withdraw the words I used against the Army," he told the state-owned Nepal Television on Saturday.

Prachanda, at a press conference earlier, had said that the Nepal Army had done no good to the country's nationals and was "killing people and raping women."

The Maoist chief's remarks sparked sharp criticism from the Army Headquarters although the government virtually remained silent on his allegations.

Also, in an interview to the government's mouth piece 'The Rising Nepal', Prachanda admitted that the Maoists are eager to join the interim government.

"We are in a hurry to resolve the problem facing the nation by joining the government," he said in response to a question.

The Maoist chief also said that he wants to talk to US Ambassador James F Moriarty to know why Washington is "so biased" against their party.

"We have asked former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Communist Party of Nepal-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to arrange a meeting with the US Ambassador."