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February 11, 2012 • 
Male, Feb 11 (IANS) Following an international demand for clarification on the power transfer from former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed to his vice president, the government Saturday announced that an independent inquiry would be conducted on the allegation of a coup in the country.
“I am fully committed to an independent investigation,” Xinhua quoted newly-appointed president Mohamed Waheed Hassan as telling international media from the presidential office.
“I don’t want to set a presidential commission to do that and to influence the process. There is a constitutional mechanism,” he said.
Waheed reiterated that he came to office according to a constitutional process.
“I am completely open to an independent investigation of what went on,” he said.
Waheed called on all parties including Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party for discussions on how the probe could be conducted.
Three weeks of opposition-led protests were capped by a police revolt that led to the dramatic resignation by Nasheed Feb 7.
A day later, violence quickly spread to other parts of the country after Nasheed took to the streets along with thousands of his supporters.
The crisis deepened Thursday with the Criminal Court ordering Nasheed’s arrest. Nasheed’s wife Laila Ali has fled to Sri Lanka.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Robert Blake arrived in the Maldives Saturday to meet both Nasheed and Waheed Hassan.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Blake would seek “a clarification” on the ouster of Nasheed, Xinhua reported.
Blake’s visit comes in the wake of criticism by Nasheed of Washington’s recognition of the new Maldivian administration.
After Nasheed’s criticism, the US said: “We will work with the government of the Maldives, but believe the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power need to be clarified.”
The UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco arrived in Male Friday on a three-day visit for talks with political leaders.
Fernandez-Taranco, however, made it clear he was not here to dictate how the political upheaval should be resolved.
“There can be no externally-generated solution to something that can be solved by Maldivians themselves,” he said.
art, asia, international, maldives, media, national, politics, sri lanka
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