Washington: Senior US officials will meet deposed Maldivian president, Mohamed Nasheed, on Friday, the State Department has said and asked all sides to show restraint after he appealed for stronger American support.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman man and other State Department officials would meet Nasheed, who is in the US to speak about the release of "The Island President”, a film by Jon Shenk, which documents his path to office and his environmental protection efforts.
"The United States enjoyed excellent relations with Mr Nasheed and his administration, and we particularly appreciate Mr Nasheed`s strong leadership on climate change and international human rights issues," the State Department said in a statement.
"The US continues to call for restraint by all sides to prevent possible violence, to allow Parliament to operate unhindered, and to use Maldivian democratic institutions to resolve differences peacefully," the statement said.
Nasheed, who resigned from presidency on February 7, said that he was forced to resign and called the incident a coup. In an interview to The Huffington Post, Nasheed warned other fledgling democracies. "I would like to tell our friends in the Middle East -- okay, you`ve been able to get rid of the dictatorship, but please be mindful -- they come back with a vengeance," he said.
PTI
