New Delhi
25 February 2011
President Mohamed Nasheed of Maldives says Libya needs a United Nations
peacekeeping force for stopping further bloodshed and for restoring peace.
Speaking at a press conference towards the end of his visit to India, Mr Nasheed hoped
India will play a role in the United Nations Security Council for putting the Blue Berets
(an informal name for UN troops) on the ground in the strife-torn north African country
where anti-government protests have claimed many hundreds of lives.
President Nasheed, whose country is a member of the UN Human Rights Council, also
sought Libya's suspension from the panel and institution of an investigation into
possible war crimes by the Libyan regime. Mr Nasheed said the international community
must step in to prevent "genocide". There was no time to waste on debating
"sovereignty" issues because "humanity" was a more compelling issue, he noted.
The Maldivian president, whose country is the latest and one of only three countries so
far to graduate out of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group of UN members, said
the democratic transition in his Muslim-majority country can be a role model for the Arab
world. "If democracy can survive in Maldives, it can also survive [there.] Islam and
democracy is not in conflict," he said. Nasheed succeeded Maumoon Abdul Gayoom,
Maldives' president for three decades, in the landmark 2008 elections.
Mr Nasheed was also emphatic that there is "no room for too many people" in the Indian
Ocean. He was responding to a question about reports of China stepping up its presence
in the Indian Ocean region. "It is India's ocean to start with," he said, adding that
Maldives will remain sensitive to India's concerns.
In his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Nasheed discussed a host of regional
and bilateral issues, including piracy, maritime security and expanding trade and
investment.
Maldives will host the Saarc summit in November.
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