Nepal?s embattled King Gyanendra vowed on Friday to hold elections in his Himalayan kingdom but gave no firm dates and did not to go beyond previous promises resolve a raging campaign against his rule.

Political parties leading the movement against the king were quick to reject his offer, saying the monarch?s message ? broadcast at the stroke of midnight at the start of the Nepali Hindu New Year ? would not defuse fierce protests that have killed four people in the past week and wounded hundreds.

?It is our wish that in order to re-energize multi-party democracy there should not be any delay in reactivating all representative bodies through elections,? the king said.

?May the efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and meaningful democracy in the interests of the nation and the people bear fruit during the new year.?

The message was largely a repeat of earlier promises to hold elections by April 2007.

Although an alliance of Nepal?s seven main political parties has yet to formally react to the king?s proposal, senior leaders said his offer was too little, too late.

?He did not address the problem of the nation, he should have done that,? Girija Prasad Koirala, president of the Nepali Congress, the largest political party, told Reuters in an interview.

?There is no change (in his stance), all he has changed are only his words,? said Koirala, 84, a four-time prime minister. ?We will start our agitation as usual and it will go on till the sovereignty of the people is not returned.?

Amrit Kumar Bohara, a top leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), the second largest party, echoed those sentiments, saying the alliance would continue protesting.

In his message, the 58-year-old monarch also made no reference to the mass campaign against his rule, which has brought the impoverished country, wedged between India and China, to a standstill since it began on April 6.

The king called on all political parties to initiate a dialogue aimed at reactivating democracy but gave no details.

?It is our desire that with the active participation of all political parties committed to peace and democracy, a meaningful exercise in multi-party democracy be initiated through an exemplary democratic exercise like the general elections,? he said.

That call apparently ruled out any involvement of Maoist rebels who have been fighting since 1996 to topple the monarchy and have joined hands with mainstream political parties to form a loose alliance against the king.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the Maoist revolt which has wrecked the aid and tourism dependent economy.

Nepalis had hoped the king?s traditional new year message would contain some new steps to ease tensions and end a confrontation with his opponents.

Fresh protests broke out in a Kathmandu suburb on Friday as dozens of activists chanted ?We want democracy?, ?Down with autocracy?, before some of them were detained.

In New York, the top UN human rights official said she was shocked by the ?excessive? use of force by Nepal?s security forces against pro-democracy protesters, warning the government its participation in UN peacekeeping missions could be affected.

?I remind the government of its international obligation to respect the right of peaceful assembly, and I remind its security forces of their obligation to use only minimum necessary force,? Louise Arbour, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement.

She added she would give UN peacekeeping officials information her office gathered about anyone, including those from the Royal Nepalese Army, implicated in abuses.

<B>Gopal Sharma</B>