In a strong message from a Muslim country, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed demanded the suspension of Libya from the United Nations Human Rights Council, pressed for probe into the crimes of the Gaddafi-regime besides prodding India to take lead in having a peace keeping force in the strife-torn n
ation.
President Nasheed, who concluded a three-day visit to India on Friday, also warned that any delay in the timely intervention on its part would lead to the UN system being obsolete.
Maldives along with the Jordan and Qatar among Muslim nations had earlier called for an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council, which also has Libya as a member.
Stressing on the sense of urgency that the situation in Libya warrants he said: “Libya should be suspended from human rights commission and the crimes against its people should be investigated”.
“It should be done now. There is no point doing it a month later. Like this the UN system will become obsolete,” President Nasheed said.
“A month later we will be giving figures so many people have killed but we should go there and stop these killings,” he said. President Nasheed said maintaining that “world listens to India” prodded New Delhi to think of taking lead for a having a peace keeping force in Libya.
“Such moments come once in two life times”, Nasheed, who brought an end to the 30-year old of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008 said.
The president said that the India-Pakistan differences have affected the potential of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and hoped that the two countries could resolve issues amicably. Maldives hosts this year’s SAARC summit.
But in what would make New Delhi happy, he struck right chords while answering a question on China’s ambitions in the Indian Ocean region. “Maintaining balance in the Indian Ocean is very important. There is not enough room in the Indian Ocean for other non-traditional friends,” he said.
“We are not receptive to any installation, military or otherwise in the Indian Ocean, specially from un-traditional friends,” he said.
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