Nepal rebukes US envoy over king remark

KATHMANDU: Nepal has rebuked the US ambassador after he suggested the king might end up fleeing the country as a mass pro-democracy movement gathers pace, a report said on Wednesday.

The foreign ministry in Kathmandu said ambassador James Moriarty had been 'summoned' on Tuesday but refused to divulge details.

Two Nepalese newspapers said Moriarty was in trouble over a forthright interview he gave to CNN television. “The envoy had said the US did not want to see King Gyanendra forced to flee clinging on the wings of a helicopter," The Himalayan newspaper said.

"Foreign Secretary Hira Bahadur Thahpa reminded the envoy about diplomatic norms while making comments on Nepal's king and other internal affairs," the privately-owned daily said. 

The Kathmandu Post added that the comments "boosted the movement waged by pro-democracy parties" and was "considered a major policy shift of the USA toward the king's role in Nepal."

The US embassy refused to detail what was said between Moriarty and the foreign secretary. "He was summoned to the foreign ministry but we are not going to talk about the substance of the meeting," said an embassy spokesperson who asked not to be named.

Nepal has been wracked by two weeks of anti-royal protests that have seen six demonstrators killed, hundreds injured and mass arrests.

Gyanendra was facing increased pressure with the arrival of two Indian envoys on Wednesday sent to relay India's deep concern at the current crisis, a day before a major protest planned in Kathmandu.