Commonwealth Special Envoy Sir Donald McKinnon (L) meets President Waheed: McKinnon has urged a high-level sit-down to defuse Maldives' escalating tension. FILE PHOTO
Commonwealth Special Envoy to Maldives, Sir Donald McKinnon has urged the leaders of the country to engage in genuine dialogue.
In a statement by the Special Envoy of Commonwealth Secretary General Kamlesh Sharma yesterday expressed concern over the escalating political tension in the Maldives.
To that end, the statement detailed that Sir Donald had been in contact with both President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and former President Mohamed Nasheed to discuss the current situation, including the ongoing protests by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the response by the security forces, and reports about charges being filed against Nasheed.
“What is very much needed in Maldives right now is for all concerned 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.”
Referring to Commission of National Inquiry (CN) set up to probe the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power on February 7, Sir Donald in the statement highlighted the huge amount of time, energy and resources invested in reconstituting the Commission in order to determine the truth about regime change and help Maldives move forward.
While noting the support of the international community in such efforts, the Special Envoy further stressed on the importance of all interlocutors in Maldives to refrain from any actions that could jeopardise the stable environment necessary to allow the CNI to complete its work and “produce an outcome within the stipulated time-frame.”
“Ultimately, any resolution of contentious political issues in Maldives can only come about through inclusive political dialogue,” Sir Donald said. “I therefore urge the leaders of Maldives to engage in genuine dialogue, with the interest of the people of Maldives in mind.”
Sir Donald’s call had been echoed by the moderator of the All Party Roadmap Talks Ahmed Mujtaba who is currently engaged in efforts to bring about a high-level sit-down in order to facilitate the resumption of the Talks in the attempt resolve the ongoing political strife in the Maldives.
However, some believe that the divergences opinion and political rivalry between the former Presidents Gayoom and Nasheed would be a stumbling block of the proposed sit-downn.
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