The king of Nepal should restore democracy to the kingdom where he took absolute power in a royal coup just over a year ago, US President George W. Bush said.

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Speaking at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bush declared on Thursday: "On Nepal we agreed that the Maoists should abandon violence and that the king shuld reach out to the political parties to restore deomcratic institutions."

Some 12,500 people have died since the Maoists launched an uprising just over a decade ago.

Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked his government and took direct control of the impoverished Himalayan nation in February 2005 saying the politicians had failed to tackle the Maoists and was corrupt.

At least 31 people have died in clashes between troops and Maoist rebels in south-western Nepal, the army says.
It said 11 security force members, 18 rebels and two civilians had been killed in remote Palpa district. The rebels said they lost eight fighters.

Earlier, five people, three of them rebels, died in a blast in western Achham district, the authorities said.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in violence in Nepal since the rebels took up arms 10 years ago.

'Accident'

The clashes began on Tuesday morning in the remote villages of Palpa and Arghakhanchi districts, and reportedly lasted for several hours.

In Nagabelamadu village in Achham district the bomb blast occurred late on Tuesday, which killed two civilians - including a health worker.

Officials said bombs being carried by the rebels had accidentally exploded.

Violence has escalated across Nepal since the rebels abandoned a four-month unilateral ceasefire in January after the government refused to reciprocate.

Nepal reels under bloody spring, 41 killed
Kathmandu: Instead of bringing new hope, 2006 seems poised to be one of the most turbulent years in Nepal with at least 41 people being killed in a single day and the Maoist guerrillas announcing further disruptions.

On Tuesday, a series of explosions rocked the kingdom while King Gyanendra, who has been heading the government since a bloodless coup last year, continued to pursue his enigmatic roadmap for peace.

Palpa, a hill resort in western Nepal that was devastated by a Maoist attack last month, reeled under fresh gunfire Tuesday when the communist rebels attacked security forces in a village, resulting in the death of 31 people.

The Royal Nepalese Army said 18 insurgents and 11 security personnel were killed in the clash while media reports Thursday said two civilians, including a 10-year-old boy, died in the crossfire.

Five more people were killed in Achham district in farwest Nepal the same night when a bomb went off near a school, reports said.

Three Maoists, who were either carrying a bomb or assembling one died in the blast that also killed a health worker and rights activist in Mangalsen, the district headquarters.

Five more Maoists, including a woman, were killed by security forces in three districts Tuesday, the reports added.

The upsurge in violence comes as Gyanendra continued to hold yet more consultations with politicians loyal to the crown in Pokhara city, where he is on a three-week unofficial visit, his second such tour this year.

The king met several politicians from pro-palace parties, giving rise to speculation that he was either trying to start talks with the opposition parties or endeavouring to split them further.

Time is running out for the monarch whose one-year of absolute rule has aggravated political instability, Maoist attacks and inflation.

The guerrillas, who crippled life nationwide last month when they imposed a four-day shutdown, have called a general strike and blockade of areas surrounding the capital during March 14-20, to be followed by an indefinite strike from April 3.

The 10-year-old communist uprising has killed more than 13,000 people. The rebels want to abolish monarchy in Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom, and establish a secular republic.

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Valley attack garne tayari

Bush ko lagi khaja

Bush's Secret talk with manamohan

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Bush tells Maoists to abandon violence, King to reach out to parties

NEW DELHI, March 2 - Standing shoulder-to-shoulder US President George W Bush and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Thursday vowed to encourage democracy in South Asia. And in Nepal, they urged the Maoist rebels to abandon the path of violence and King Gyanendra to reach out to the political parties for reconciliation.

"We'd like to thank India for supporting democracy in your neighborhood," a smiling Bush told a joint press conference in New Delhi Thursday afternoon. "In Nepal, the Maoists should abandon the path of violence. And we agreed that the King should reach out to the political parties for reconciliation."

On a three-day visit to India via Kabul on Wednesday night, Bush was welcomed by Indian President APJ Abdul Kalama earlier in the day whence he also visited the 'Samadhi' of late Mahatma Gandhi, India's father of nation, to lay a wreath in his honor.

The visit, amidst tight security -- altogether 17 well-trained sniffer dogs are accompanying the world's most powerful leader -- however has touched off widespread protests across India.

In Pakistan, two bombs went off outside the US Consulate in Karachi and a five-star-hotel where Bush will be staying later in the week during his visit. Yet the President said: "The terrorists are not going to stop me from going to Pakistan… We stand [together] against terrorism."

Meanwhile, the mood in New Delhi is euphoric given that the world has seen a remarkable transformation of India from an isolated, controversial nuke power after the May 1998 nuclear tests to a legitimate nuclear power that -- if things go according to plan -- can soon catapult India into the loop of nuclear commerce.

For now, India and the US are tantalizingly close to hammering out a nuclear deal. The only issue remaining to be straightened out is the issue of nuclear safeguards for India. But analysts say that might as well be cleared after consultations in the US Congress and the exclusive club of International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA).

Also, the two powerful nations have already agreed to foster vigorous cooperation in a number of areas such as trade and investments, energy, agriculture, science and technology, high-tech industries and health care sector.