Maoists call for UN-brokered talks to end turmoil

Maoist rebels denounced the King for asking the opposition to pick PM, saying only a UN-brokered peace could resolve the chaos.

Maoist rebels in Nepal denounced King Gyanendra for asking the opposition name a prime minister, saying only a UN-brokered peace process could resolve the chaos in the Himalayan kingdom.

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Opposition leaders have failed to come up with a candidate for prime minister despite a Monday deadline set by King Gyanendra, who had fired the elected government in 2002.

Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the king was playing "the same old conspiratorial game" instead of seeking an "overall political solution."

"Our party stresses the need to hold dialogue among representatives of all sides including political forces and civil society under United Nations mediation to resolve the current crisis," said a statement by Dahal, better known as Prachanda, or "The Fierce."

The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the monarchy and set up a communist republic. The fighting has claimed more than 9,500 lives.

Opposition parties, which are not affiliated with the Maoists, held weeks of protests denouncing Gyanendra leading to the May 7 resignation of the king's handpicked prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa.

The king opened a dialogue with the opposition after Thapa quit but failed to reach a breakthrough, with the major parties refusing to be part of a royal-appointed government.