Fisheries Minister Mohamed Shainee, also chair of the government’s initiative for inclusive dialogue, has refuted reports that the government turned down the United Nations’ offer for mediation.
In a post on his Twitter account, Shainee said that President Abdulla Yameen has been welcoming of the United Nations engaging ‘meaningfully, which the opposition keeps blocking’.
HEP Yameen hve not rjctd UN role in All Party Talks. Note tht UN participation is a request by the President himself. UN have always insisted for initial engagement btwn parties for UN to engage meaningfully, which gvmnt is trying to do but opposition keeps blocking.
— Mohamed Shainee (@mshainee) February 22, 2018
The Hindustan Times ran an article on Wednesday that included a quote from Farhan Haq, a spokesperson to the United Nations.
“He offered to…President Yameen, UN mediation but the president conveyed that mediation was not wanted at this stage” Haq was quoted as saying, about UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Last week, the office of the UN Secretary-General told news outlets that they will contact Maldivian leaders in ‘the next few days’.
The office said that this decision is in response to the opposition’s call for international mediation of dialogue.
