In a departure from normal practice, US Ambassador to Nepal James Francis Moriarty is to stop over in New Delhi for consultations before returning to Kathmandu with Washington's message.

Prior to coming back to Nepal from the US Saturday, the envoy will halt in the Indian capital to discuss with the Indian authorities and members of the international community his government's message to Nepal's new regime. 

Moriarty had been summoned to Washington in the wake of Nepalese King Gyanendra sacking prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's government, assuming executive powers and imposing a state of emergency. 

Besides the American envoy, two other governments giving military aid to Nepal - India and Britain - had also summoned their ambassadors for consultations.

While India and Britain have announced they are suspending assistance to Nepal's army, the US is yet to make its stand clear. 

Washington, which considers the Maoists a "terrorist" group, currently provides about $45 million a year in mostly economic aid that also includes some military assistance. In the last two years, it has provided about $20 million in aid and training to the Royal Nepalese Army.