late king birendra addressing

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King Birendra of Nepal was announced the lifting of a 30-year ban on political parties, spelling the end of absolute rule in the Himalayan kingdom.After talks with the monarch, opposition leaders announced that they would call off their protest movement, which plunged the country into crisis on Friday when troops fired on tens of thousands of demonstrators who tried to march on the palace. At least 50 were shot dead.‘There is no need for the agitation,’ said G. P. Koirala, the general secretary of the Nepali Congress Party.Pashupati Rana, the Foreign Minister, said that elections for the National Assembly would be held soon. ‘The most important person in the country has made a most important decision. This is not a concession. It is a natural process of answering the will of the people.’Last night’s announcement on state-run television said the word ‘partyless’ was being removed from the constitution. The king wanted to honour the national sentiment, it said.

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