Kathmandu, May 31: Nepal's major parties held marathon talks with King Gyanendra on forming a new government after the royalist premier they shunned suddenly quit, officials said today. Leaders of five parties met for more than two and a half hours overnight with Gyanendra and crown Prince Paras, their first time in the palace since they launched a protest campaign in April aimed at removing Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand. But political sources said the parties failed to come to a consensus with the king on a new government and that Gyanendra set a 72-hour deadline for them to come up with a name.
Nepal has seen a flurry of protests against the King -- revered as divine in traditionalist quarters here -- since he dismissed elected Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on October 4 for being "incompetent." The major parties, although they also had strained relations with Deuba, were infuriated when Gyanendra sidelined their leaders in favour of Chand. Bureau Report