18 PARTIES TO DISCUSS FURTHER PROTESTS FRIDAY Kathmandu, 14 March: Eighteen parties, including CPN Maoist, Thursday decided to hold talks Friday to draw up further protests opposing the installation of an election government headed by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi. Many government vehicles were vandalized during a five-hour sudden Valley strike Thursday. nnnn CHINESE, US REACTION TO NEPAL DEVELOPMENTS Kathmandu, 14 March: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a press conference in Beijing on Thursday that China hopes that Nepalese political parties will move ahead toward political stability and development by concluding the constitution-writing process in consensus arrived at through talks “As Nepal´s political leaders continue to work on political and governance issues, the United States welcomes further progress by the parties that will continue to safeguard the rights of all citizens and reaffirm the national commitment to building a democratic, representative, and prosperous Nepal,” a US embassy statement said. “As in the past, the United States stands ready to assist Nepal as these national elections approach,” the statement went on to say, nnnn.