Nepal's king on Thursday shrugged off suspension of military aid by India and Britain, saying he shares the goals, but not the methods, of the democracies that denounced his takeover this month, according to newspaper editors.
King Gyanendra told the editors who gathered at Narayanhiti Palace that his main goal is to fight Maoist rebels, who have sought to replace the monarchy with a communist state in a nine-year insurgency that has killed more than 10,500 people.
The informal meeting with a dozen Nepalese editors was his first interaction with journalists since he fired the government, declared a state of emergency and suspended civil rights in Nepal. The February 1 takeover provoked international condemnation. Britain and India, two of Nepal's closest allies, suspended military aid and demanded a return to democracy. Other governments pulled their ambassadors.
"They must say what they must say, and we must do what we must do," the king was quoted as saying by an independent Web site, nepalnews.com.
"When we have chosen to uphold democracy and fight against terrorism, why are they shying away from helping us?" the King was quoted as saying. "I can see one thing clearly emerging out of it. Our objectives are the same. We are going to meet somewhere. But we have chosen maybe different paths in attaining that objective."
The King said he wanted support from India, Britain and the United States in the fight against Maoist rebels.
He promised tough action against the insurgents, saying the rebels had spread fear among commuters with bombings, shootouts and other attacks on the highways.
