UN Secy. Gen renews call for Maldives to resolve political crisis

The Secretary-General has called on all concerned in the Maldives to resolve the country’s political crisis peacefully, through a national process and on the basis of dialogue and consensus. He welcomes, in this context, the acceptance by the Government of the Maldives of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s nominee for the Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) charged to look into the facts and circumstances leading to the transfer of power on 7 February 2012.

The Secretary-General commends President Mohamed Waheed and former President Nasheed for their efforts to make the national inquiry body more independent and credible and to find a resolution to the current political crisis. He also thanks the Commonwealth for its efforts to bring about this important agreement.   At the request of the Government of the Maldives, both the United Nations and the Commonwealth have agreed to provide legal advice to the reconstituted Commission.

The Secretary-General again urges all parties to resume immediately their political dialogue, both within and outside of Parliament, in order to find a mutually agreeable way forward on the basis of the Constitution and without jeopardising the democratic gains achieved thus far in the Maldives.