By Simon Denyer and Gopal Sharma

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

POKHARA, Nepal, June 15 (Reuters) A ceremonial monarchy will never work in Nepal and if the king does not abdicate he could end up facing trial and even execution, the Himalayan nation's powerful Maoist rebel chief said today.

''So-called King Gyanendra and his son Paras are goons and smugglers,'' Prachanda said in an exclusive interview with Reuters in the western city of Pokhara.

''Their blood is criminal blood, and they will not accept a ceremonial role. They will seek some sort of conspiracy. A ceremonial monarchy is a false thing and it will not work.'' Weeks of pro-democracy and anti-monarchy protests ended in late April when the king agreed to abandon almost 15 months of absolute rule.

Parliament, restored after a gap of four years, has since stripped the king of almost all his powers, but Prachanda said it had not gone far enough.

''If he wants to solve the problem positively he should become a commoner,'' he said, alternating between English and Nepali. ''If he abdicates then the people may accept he has room for survival. But if he does not, people will take action, and he may be executed.'' ''After a people's trial,'' interjected his lieutenant and rebel ideologue Baburam Bhattarai, sitting across the room in a private house in Nepal's second city.

The bespectacled Prachanda, barefoot and dressed in a white check shirt and olive green trousers, spoke firmly and confidently for well over an hour, often smiling as he set out the Maoists' vision for the nation and fended off questions about human rights abuses.

''We have never taken a policy of killing anyone without a fair trial,'' he said, when asked about the alleged killing of informers. ''We have lawyers, legal experts. Due to the pressure of war there have been some mistakes, but we have self-criticism and, if there is peace, legal processes will be followed.'' NEW STYLE COMMUNISTS MORE REUTERS CH HT1752

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