Wednesday, April 26 2006 15:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Communist rebels withdrew a blockade of Nepal's highways today (Apr 26, 2006) but gave the country's political parties a Friday deadline to begin moves to create an assembly to rewrite the constitution, their leader said in a statement.

The rebels had blockaded key roads for weeks tosupport a campaign of anti-monarchy protests by the opposition coalition of Nepal's seven main political parties.

The elusive rebel leader, Prachanda, said in his statement today that rebels would lift their blockade, but that the country's political parties must declare elections to assembly when they reconvene Parliament on Friday.