Tuesday, April 18 2006 16:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Two former prime ministers of Nepal have asked beleaguered King Gyanendra to restore democracy making it clear there can be no cooperation until he did it.

The Maoists also announced that the anti-royalty protests by the opposition will continue until their goal is achieved.

The King met former Prime Minister and founder leader of Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai as also former Premier Surya Bahadur Thapa yesterday.

"When the King asked me to lend cooperation I told him that there can be no cooperation unless the King restores democracy in the country," Bhattarai was quoted as saying after the meeting.

"Any one who is in power will not easily quit it, but I am confident that change will take place," a senior leader of Nepali Congress (Democratic) quoted Bhattarai as saying.

President of Nepal Janashakti Party and six-time Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa met the king for an hour and a half yesterday. He told the King that he should make efforts to reactivate the derailed constitutional process and that there is an urgent need to bring together all constitutional forces to resolve the current crisis.

"I told the King that the country is in a deep crisis and it should be resolved within the constitutional framework," Thapa said.

The seven-party alliance should be taken into confidence to find a way out, Nepal Janashakti Party's spokesman Sarvendara Nath Shukla quoted the former Prime Minister as saying.