King Defends Takeover, Vows Elections in 2007
Nepal’s King Gyanendra used his first appearance at a South Asian summit to defend his seizure of power, and said his commitment to restore democracy by holding elections before April 2007 remained on track.
The king spoke at the summit of the South Asian Assn. of Regional Cooperation in Bangladesh.
The meeting was postponed in February after objections to Gyanendra’s seizure of power Feb. 1, when he sacked the government, jailed politicians, imposed emergency rule and formed a handpicked Cabinet. He said the move was needed to defeat Maoist rebels.
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