Leaders urged by Commonwealth to engage in dialogue

The Commonwealth has restated that any resolution of the political issues in the Maldives can only come about through inclusive political dialogue, and urged the leaders of Maldives to engage in dialogue.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Maldives, Sir Donald McKinnon made this statement after meetings yesterday with President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and former President Nasheed.

The US Ambassador to Maldives, during her recent visit here, also urged former Presidents Gayoom and Nasheed to participate in the political talks.

Meanwhile, Moderator of All-party-talks Ahmed Mujtaba has stressed the importance of the participation of political leaders in the All-party-talks.

However both President Dr Mohamed Waheed and former President Gayoom have implied that they do not wish to engage in dialogue with former President Nasheed.

Sir McKinnon said in his statement that the Maldives currently needs its people to show restraint and restore calm.

“Any actions that create or exacerbate political instability cannot be helpful to the national interest, including in the difficult economic circumstances at the moment in the country and the global context.”

He referred to the Commission of National Inquiry and said that time, energy and resources have been invested in reconstituting the Commission.

“It is absolutely essential that all relevant actors in Maldives refrain from any actions that could jeopardise the stable environment necessary to allow the Commission of National Inquiry to complete its work and produce an outcome within the stipulated time-frame.”

Discussions also took place between McKinnon and former President Nasheed on the case filed to Court against Nasheed; however, details of these discussions were not included in the Commonwealth’s statement.

The Commonwealth has played an important role in the political sphere of the Maldives since the government changed on 7 February 2012.