India warns Nepalese king of deteriorating situation

India's concerns were communicated to Nepal's Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey when he met his Indian counterpart in New Delhi in the first ministerial contact between the neighbours since Gyanendra seized power on February 1.

"The Foreign Minister conveyed to the Nepali Foreign Minister India's disappointment at the measures taken by His Majesty, the King of Nepal, which had served to only deepen the crisis facing Nepal," an Indian foreign office statement said.

"The events since February, 2005 have only served to demonstrate that not only has the security situation in Nepal not improved, but that the country is now facing a deteriorating economic situation as well," it added.

India said it was important for Gyanendra to take an early initiative to mend fences with Nepal's political parties.

"It would be in the interest of Nepal and its people, for the King and the political parties to join together on a national platform to unitedly deal with the challenges facing Nepal, including the threat from Maoist insurgency."