Maoist rebels in Nepal have hardened their stance on the future of the country in the wake of King Gyanendra's royal coup 12 days ago.
A rebel spokesman told the BBC that their previous demands were outdated and they would now focus on the abolition of the monarchy.
The rhetoric coincides with a Maoist transport blockade this weekend that has severely restricted traffic.
Security is heavy, with helicopters and armed escorts protecting supply trucks.
Door open
On Sunday, the king made his first public appearance since the coup, driving to a spring ceremony at a palace in central Kathmandu, but he made no comments on the takeover.
NEPAL IN CRISIS
Before his move, the Maoists had softened their original insistence on a republic, saying their main demand was for elections to an assembly to draw up a new constitution
But Maoist spokesman, Krishna Bahadur Muhara, has now told the BBC the rebels' demands for an assembly, an interim government and a round table conference were being refocused.
Both he and the Maoists' top leader, Prachanda, said there was no place for immediate talks with the authorities.
However, the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says that appears to leave the door open for negotiations at some future point.
Food and fuel
The Maoists' call for a blockade coincided with Sunday's ninth anniversary of their uprising. About 11,000 people have since died.
The call for transport to stop moving into and out of the main cities appears to have been effective.
Traffic around Kathmandu has been reduced to a trickle; the same has happened in the western cities of Pokhara and Nepalganj.
However, our correspondent says businesses and transport within the cities appear to be working normally despite rumours of an additional Maoist call for a general strike.
Security remains on high alert with the army guarding vehicles entering or leaving the Kathmandu valley.
Purna Shrestha, of the Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs' Federation, told the AFP news agency: "Very few vehicles except minibuses are operating in the south-eastern part of the country with long-route bus services and public goods carriers at a standstill."
Two previous Maoist blockades, in August and December, caused severe disruption, bringing fuel and food shortages and raising their prices.
But security is heavier this time and there has been little coverage of the blockade call in the now-censored media.
The government insists it is prepared and that their are adequate stocks of food and fuel.
It has also warned it will punish firms hiding their goods or trying to profiteer.
King Gyanendra said he sacked the previous government because it failed to tackle the Maoist uprising.
He appeared in good health and confident as he was greeted by officials at the spring ceremony at the Hanumandhoka palace. Media were kept at a distance.
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