Tuesday, February 15 2005 10:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington/London: In an orchestrated move in tandem with India, the United States, Britain and European Union (EU) yesterday (Feb 14, 2005) called their ambassadors to Nepal for consultations to mount pressure on King Gyanendra to restore multi-party democracy in the Himalayan Nation.

US Ambassador to Nepal James F Moriarty has been asked to return to Washington for consultations, State Department said in a statement.

Washington is taking this step of recalling the Ambassador to determine next steps in consultation with India and Britain, two other countries with which the US is in close touch in what all three regard as a grave crisis in a key strategic area, a State Department statement said.

"We remain deeply troubled by developments in Nepal," the statement said adding the King needs to restore and protect civil and human rights, promptly release those detained under the State of Emergency and move quickly toward the restoration of civil liberties and multi-party democratic institutions under a constitutional monarchy.

Britain called its Ambassador in Kathmandu Keith Bloomfield and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw termed the Nepal King's dismissal of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as a "backward step", which "undermined Nepal's democratic institutions and risked further instability".

India has already called its ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee for consultations.

"We strongly support constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy in Nepal and want to see a sustainable peace process. We continue to call upon Maoists to end violence and for both sides to return to the negotiating table," the British Foreign Office said.

European Union member countries recalled their ambassadors from Kathmandu for consultations following the King's dismissal of Deuba Government there and annexation of power himself.