Ban calls on Maldives to resolve political crisis peacefully

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all the parties concerned in the Maldives to resolve the current political crisis peacefully and through a national process based on dialogue and consensus. "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 jeopardizing the democratic gains achieved thus far in the Maldives," said a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson overnight. In February, President, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned after days of protests and tensions between the Government and military and police. He was succeeded by his former deputy, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, according to the UN news center. The Government has since set up a National Commission of Inquiry to probe the events leading to the regime change, and both the UN and the Commonwealth of Nations have agreed to provide legal advice to the Commission. According to the statement, Ban commended 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 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 charged to look into the facts and circumstances leading to the transfer of power on 7 February 2012," the statement said.