Nepal Opp calls for truce to end blockade

Nepal’s main Opposition party urged the government today to call a unilateral ceasefire with Maoist rebels and seek peace talks to end a road blockade that has cut the capital off from the rest of the country.

The Nepali Congress said the two-month-old government, appointed by the King in a bid to end a political crisis, had been unable to even secure the capital, Kathmandu. ‘‘The government must announce a ceasefire and hold talks with the Maoists to end the blockade and their revolt peacefully,’’ senior Congress member Narahari Acharya said.

‘‘The government cannot solve the Maoist problem. It must resign immediately.’’ The Maoist blockade, which entered its sixth day today, has effectively closed all roads linking Kathmandu with the rest of the country. The rebels have not set up road blocks or any other obvious physical presence, but are relying on the fear of retaliation to enforce the blockage.