Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has warned that it would not join talks with opposition parties if the United Nations (UN) is to act as a mediator.

At a press conference on Thursday, the ruling party’s vice president Abdul Raheem Abdulla said he supports the government’s call for an all-party dialogue on the Supreme Court ruling to release political prisoners, and that the party is ready to join the talks without any conditions.

However, Abdulla also said that the party is opposed to the UN acting as a mediator, the implementation of the court order, and the release of Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed.

He said the party has confidence that the government will not release any prisoners to fulfill the wishes of specific people, and that the political turmoil in Maldives can be solved without foreign intervention.