Nepal's king renews poll pledge

The king made no mention of the conflict with Maoist rebels

King Gyanendra has addressed Nepalis after a week of anti-royalist protests to give his backing for a general election he has promised next year.

It was not immediately clear if the monarch, who seized direct power 14 months ago, was suggesting that the vote would be brought forward.

Correspondents say that Nepal's parties have in the past firmly rejected the king's election idea.

The king did not mention either the protests or Maoist rebel conflict.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, has told the BBC that the king should take the initiative in offering ceasefire talks with the Maoists.

Ms Arbour warned that the situation might ultimately have to go before the UN security council.

'Meaningful'

In a New Year message read out on state media, the king appealed for "a meaningful exercise in multi-party democracy".

"May the efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and meaningful democracy in the interests of the nation and the people bear fruit during the new year," he said.

King Gyanendra earlier promised a general election in April 2007.

The opposition has been campaigning for the immediate restoration of democracy and return of representative government.

The New Year message contained no new initiatives, the BBC's Charles Haviland reports from Kathmandu.

The nearest the king came to one was in saying he called on all political parties to join in a dialogue but he added that this was something he had always advocated, our correspondent says.

The king's critics, both domestic and international, say elections in the current climate of insecurity are impossible, and the opposition parties have already said they would boycott them.

King Gyanendra's statement is likely to be seen as falling short on substance and initiative, our correspondent says.

New rallies

Thousands of people demonstrated against King Gyanendra at rallies on Thursday.

The biggest was in the central resort of Pokhara, enjoying its first curfew-free day this week.

At least 10,000 people demonstrated peacefully in memory of a local man who was one of four people shot dead by police at recent demonstrations.

In the capital, Kathmandu, police fired rubber bullets on a gathering of lawyers.

Rallies by professional groups are quite common but it seems a new level of force is now being applied against them, the BBC's Charles Haviland reports from Kathmandu.

Other groups arrested on Thursday included blind and disabled people, development workers and teachers.

At the same time, the authorities lifted night-time curfews in various cities on Thursday and restored the mobile phone network in Kathmandu.