Nepal rebels suspend blockade

KATHMANDU: Nepal's Maoist rebels suspended a blockade of the capital on Wednesday after the country's incoming prime minister assured them elections would be held for an assembly to frame a new constitution.   

The Maoists said they had lifted the blockade on Kathmandu and major towns until parliament meets on Friday for the first time in four years, but they reiterated their key demand -- a new constitution and a review of the role of the monarchy.   

“We have withdrawn our call for a blockade in response to an appeal from the Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala... until the first meeting of the parliament,” Maoist leader Prachanda said in a statement.   

Koirala is set to become Nepal's next prime minister after King Gyanendra handed over power to the country's main political parties in response to weeks of often bloody street protests.   

The veteran politician, four times prime minister, had earlier appealed to the powerful Maoists to end their blockade.   

“The constituent assembly is the main agenda of the new parliament,” Koirala said in a statement on Wednesday.   

Life slowly returned to normal in Kathmandu after weeks of protests and a huge victory celebration on Tuesday after King Gyanendra reconvened the dissolved parliament.   

Streets were crowded with tourists and shoppers and public transport was working. Political parties said their first priority would be to bring the Maoists back into the mainstream and called for a ceasefire with the rebels.