(Recasts with call for new nationwide strike) By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Nepal's Maoist rebels on Tuesday called for a two-day nationwide general strike to protest against the appointment of ambassadors by the government, saying the decisions were made without consulting them. Maoist rebel chief Prachanda called in a statement for the shutdown to begin on Dec. 31 to press the multi-party government to revoke the appointments. The call came hours after a day-long strike sponsored by women, students and labour groups and backed by the Maoists forced businesses and schools to close in the capital, Kathmandu, and other parts of the Himalayan nation. "Our protest programme is to press the government to revoke these anti-people decisions immediately," Prachanda said. The Maoists and the government last month signed a landmark peace deal declaring an end to the decade-old anti-monarchy rebellion that has killed more than 13,000 people. Under the deal, the Maoists are to join an interim cabinet after storing their weapons under United Nations supervision in the run up to next year's elections for a special assembly to map the country's political future and decide the fate of the monarchy. But the United Nations says it will take time for a full monitoring mission to be in place and has not given any timeframe. The Maoists say the government should not take long-term decisions until they join administration. The government, which named envoys to 14 countries including neighbouring India, the United States, Britain and Japan on Monday, denied it had done anything wrong. "I am really surprised," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K.P. Sharma Oli said in reaction to the protests.
