Saturday, April 15 2006 11:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Observing that Nepal King Gyanendra's call for a dialogue with political parties does not go 'far enough, the US has said that he should act immediately to restore democracy in the Kingdom and take a number of steps to engage political parties 'in an open and frank' talks.

"The King's call for a dialogue with the constitutional political parties leading to the restoration of democracy acknowledges the path must be taken in order to overcome the crisis facing the country," a senior administration official told sources.

"But it does not go far enough. The King should act immediately to restore democracy. His actions should include immediate release of those detained for their political opposition to the government and greater police restraint in dealing with protestors," the official added.

"We urge the King to take immediate concrete steps to engage the parties in an open and frank dialogue and urge them in turn to respond positively. We are prepared to discuss, to assist this dialogue in any way we can," the senior official remarked.

"If the King does not act immediately the situation will only worsen. We continue to believe that a vibrant democracy where civil liberties are protected is the best way to deal with the Maoist insurgency and in turn peace and prosperity to Nepal," the official said.