This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6192119.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Nepal rebels oppose appointments Nepal rebels threaten new strikes
(about 13 hours later)
Nepal's Maoist rebels have called a general strike in the capital, Kathmandu, to protest against key government appointments in the country. Maoist rebels in Nepal have threaten to hold more strikes unless the governing seven-party coalition reverses its decision to nominate 13 new envoys.
On Monday, the government announced a number of appointments, including ambassadors to 14 countries. A statement issued by Maoist leader Prachanda called for a two-day nationwide strike starting 31 December.
The positions had fallen vacant after King Gyanendra ended his direct rule after a popular uprising in April. He also demanded the endorsement of the interim constitution and the holding of constituent assembly elections by June.
A Maoist leader warned that the appointments may endanger the current peace process to end the insurgency. The Maoists held a general strike in Kathmandu on Tuesday, warning the move could derail the ongoing peace process.
The one-day strike disrupted normal life in Kathmandu and the neighbouring Lalitpur and Bhaktapur towns. The strike threat comes after the cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, announced on Monday the names of 13 ambassadors to countries including the US, India, Britain, Japan, Russia and China.
Maoist workers forced schools, factories, and markets to shut and stopped vehicles. 'Unilateral action'
Conspiracy The positions fell vacant after the rebels and political parties organised huge protests in April that forced King Gyanendra to surrender his direct rule.
On Monday, the government appointed the chairman and members of the national human rights commission. DISARMAMENT DETAILS Thousands of rebel fighters to be confined to seven main camps under UN supervisionA joint co-ordination committee comprising the government, insurgents and the UN to monitor rebel campsMaoist weapons to be locked in 70 metal containers and monitored by the UN
It also appointed ambassadors to 14 countries including neighbouring India and China, and the United States. "The government took the decision by going against the agreements reached in the past. Our party thinks that such decisions are serious in nature, so we have given the 10-day ultimatum," Prachanda said.
The Maoists renounced violence following a recent peace accord. Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that the government had taken a "unilateral action" and that "such a trend could jeopardise the peace process".
But rebel spokesman, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, warned that the government appointments could derail the peace process. The seven-party coalition and Maoist rebels agreed the interim constitution at the weekend, paving the way for the rebels to join the government and temporarily remove the king as head of state.
He said that the appointments smacked of a conspiracy against recent accords between the Maoists and the seven-party government for an interim government which would include the rebels. Under the peace accord, the Maoists will have 73 seats in the new 330-seat parliament in return for renouncing violence.
He did not elaborate.
The Maoists are believed to have been angered that key decisions had been made before the new administration was in place.
On Saturday, the two sides approved an interim constitution, a key step on the way to implementing the peace accord and bringing the rebels into government.