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Madhav Kumar Nepal told the BBC in an interview, Gen. Rookmangud Katawal will continue as army chief pending a formal decision, which will be taken by the new Cabinet.

Katawal was dismissed by Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who later resigned as prime minister to protest the blocking of his decision by the country's president.

The Himalayan republic's new prime minister told the BBC the general's dismissal was a mistake.

"The chief of the army is Rookmangud Katawal. There should be no confusion on this issue. This is very clear", Nepal told the BBC.

The new leader did not agree with the Maoists' allegation that neighbor India and other foreign powers had helped in their government's fall.

"I have not seen any kind of intervention", he told the BBC. "Because of the behavior of the Maoists all other parties had to take a stand against the Maoists. That shows how unpopular the Maoists have become."

Nepal said the new regime's priorities are to draft a new constitution and complete the country's fragile peace process. He urged the Maoists to join his administration in accomplishing the goals. The new government has the support of 22 of the 24 parties in parliament.

The Maoists, led by Prachanda, ended their rebellion in 2006 against the state, which was then a monarchy.

Once in power, Prachanda's government tried to get the army chief to absorb some 20,000 of the Maoists into the Nepalese military. He quit when those efforts did not succeed.

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