KATHMANDU ? Nepal's opposition Maoists have called off a blockade of the country's main airport after coming under international pressure over the planned protest, a party spokesman said Wednesday.

Envoys from the United States, Russia and the European Union had Tuesday urged Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal to call off the airport shutdown, saying it would escalate tensions and harm tourism during the peak season.

"The international community asked our party to withhold this program so we respected their request," Maoist spokesman Dinanath Sharma told AFP.

Nepal's army and police have been placed on high alert after the Maoists last week announced a fortnight of nationwide demonstrations aimed at destabilizing the new coalition government.

The former rebels, who fought a 10-year civil war against the state before winning 2008 elections, quit the government in May after a row with the president over the country's army chief.

They now want the president to apologize for blocking Dahal's attempt to sack the head of the army and have vowed to bring the capital Kathmandu to a standstill on November 10 unless their demands are met.