King
Birendra of Nepal was announced the lifting of a 30-year ban on
political parties, spelling the end of absolute rule in the Himalayan
kingdom.After talks with the monarch, opposition leaders announced that
they would call off their protest movement, which plunged the country
into crisis on Friday when troops fired on tens of thousands of
demonstrators who tried to march on the palace. At least 50 were shot
dead.‘There is no need for the agitation,’ said G. P. Koirala, the
general secretary of the Nepali Congress Party.Pashupati Rana, the
Foreign Minister, said that elections for the National Assembly would be
held soon. ‘The most important person in the country has made a most
important decision. This is not a concession. It is a natural process of
answering the will of the people.’Last night’s announcement on
state-run television said the word ‘partyless’ was being removed from
the constitution. The king wanted to honour the national sentiment, it
said.
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