70 rebels killed in Nepal clash
FM tells world community to choose king or communism
AFP, Kathmandu
More than 70 Maoists have been killed in a fierce clash with Nepal's army, an official said yesterday as the foreign minister warned the world to accept the king's power grab or watch a communist takeover of the Himalayan country. Four members of the security forces were also killed in the clash Monday night at Ganeshpur in Bardiya district, 500km southwest of Kathmandu, said army spokesman Brigadier General Dipak Gurung. "So far the security forces have recovered the bodies of at least 70 Maoists killed in the clash," Gurung said. The rebels had carried away others of their dead, he added. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the casualty toll. The reported death toll is the highest of any clash since King Gyanendra a month ago seized absolute power and declared emergency rule. Soon after his power grab he offered to hold unconditional talks with the Maoists, who have been fighting to overthrow the monarchy since 1996 at a cost of some 11,000 lives. The Maoists, who branded the king a "national betrayer" for his February takeover, have not responded to his call but instead staged a two-week transport blockade, which ended at the weekend. The blockade, which the Maoists said was aimed at getting the king to reverse his seizure of power, reduced transport to a trickle and sent food prices soaring. Gurung told AFP last month that if the rebels rejected the king's offer of talks they faced a series of military offensives. "We have to force the Maoists to come to the negotiating table, we are looking for them. Wherever they are we are going to launch offensive operations," he said. "We have to make them weak." One of the king's appointed ministers, meanwhile, warned in television interview late Monday the world had to choose between supporting the monarch and an eventual return to democracy or allowing Nepal to be taken over by communists. In the interview, state-run news agency RSS reported Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey staunchly defended Gyanendra's seizure of power, saying it had been done at the express wish of the population because the politicians were squabbling among themselves and were not dealing with the Maoist insurgency. The international community has reacted sharply to the power grab, with India and Britain suspending military aid vital to Nepal's fight against the rebels, while the United States has warned it will follow suit if Gyanendra does not restore fundamental rights.
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