Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06COLOMBO1443
2006-09-05 05:44:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

MALDIVES: CROSS-PARTY COOPERATION YIELDS GENERALLY

Tags:  PGOV PHUM KDEM MV 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 4699
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001443 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: CROSS-PARTY COOPERATION YIELDS GENERALLY
POSITIVE RESULTS FOR REFORM

REF: A. COLOMBO 1410

B. COLOMBO 1132 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: CDA JAMES MOORE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001443

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: CROSS-PARTY COOPERATION YIELDS GENERALLY
POSITIVE RESULTS FOR REFORM

REF: A. COLOMBO 1410

B. COLOMBO 1132 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: CDA JAMES MOORE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Following a July 19 meeting between the
Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM) and the
opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in Colombo,
facilitated by the British High Commissioner, the two
sides upheld commitments to move the reform agenda
forward. In exchange for the MDP's restraint on street
activism and toning down of anti-government rhetoric, the
GORM released a number of political prisoners, including
an August 16 presidential pardon for high profile
detainee Jennifer Latheef. Another meeting between the
GORM and the MDP in Colombo on August 25 yielded a GORM
commitment to free MDP chairperson Mohamed Nasheed on
September 21 and drop charges of terrorism and sedition
against him one month later. The GORM and MDP also
agreed to begin formal collaboration on reform
legislation following Nasheed's release and to form a
police integrity commission with each side nominating
members. Despite this atmosphere of cooperation,
following an August 28 arrest in the southern city of
Addu, anti-government protests broke out there and in the
capital, Male'. The opposition complained of a heavy-
handed police response, while GORM officials questioned
whether Nasheed and some others in the MDP held a genuine
commitment to peaceful change. Despite that setback, it
appears that moderates on both sides of the aisle remain
willing to work together to drive reforms forward. End
summary.

-------------- --------------
GORM-MDP MEETINGS YIELD INITIAL POSITIVE RESULTS
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM)
officials and opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP)
representatives met in Colombo at the British High
Commissioner's residence for a series of three informal
talks from June-August 2006. While the Maldives press
reported that discussions took place, the details of the
agreements were not made public. In an August 24
briefing for diplomats, British poloff said that the

first meeting established an initial mediated contact
between the government and the opposition and laid the
groundwork for further cooperation. The second meeting,
July 19, led to an MDP commitment to limit street
protests and ensure that August 12, the anniversary of
both the 2004 pro-democracy demonstrations and the 2005
arrest of MDP chairman Mohamed Nasheed, passed without
major protests.


3. (C) In late July, the MDP did not hold any protests,
and as a result, the GORM released MDP members previously
arrested and detained in May for violating a presidential
decree on freedom of assembly (ref B). The August 12
anniversary passed peacefully, with the MDP organizing a
rally confined to one area of the capital. The GORM
responded with the August 16 release of high profile
detainee Jennifer Latheef, daughter of an MDP founder who
had been sentenced to ten years in prison on terrorism
charges (ref B). Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed phoned
poloff on August 17 and noted that in addition to the
GORM-MDP talks, Secretary Rice's letter to Shaheed had
been instrumental in securing Latheef's release (ref A).
Shaheed said he had shared the letter with President
Gayoom and used it to argue against hard-liners in the
cabinet who were loath to make concessions to the
opposition.


4. (SBU) Latheef and four others had been sentenced for
their participation in 2003 demonstrations in Male' that
turned violent, with Latheef labeled the "mastermind"
behind the riot. On August 17, a pro-opposition news
website reported that Latheef "refused" her presidential
pardon, choosing to remain in self-imposed house arrest
until she is fully exonerated, and also demanding that
the others sentenced along with her also be released.
The government spokesman responded that Latheef's pardon

COLOMBO 00001443 002 OF 003


stands, and asserted that prison is "not a resort into
which she can check in and out!" Despite this public
disagreement, GORM-MDP cooperation remained on track, and
talks scheduled in Colombo August 25 went ahead as
scheduled.


5. (C) On August 24, FM Shaheed, Attorney General (AG)
Hassan Saeed, and a GORM parliamentarian, accompanied by
the Maldivan High Commissioner and DCM in Colombo, called
on the Charge' at the Embassy. Shaheed explained that
the government delegation was in town for the August 25
talks, and noted that the July 19 talks had yielded
positive results. He reiterated the value of Secretary
Rice's letter in obtaining Jennifer Latheef's pardon, and
expressed hope the US would continue to bolster the
reform process in Maldives.


6. (C) The evening of August 25 FM Shaheed called poloff
to offer a read-out of the discussions. He said the MDP
again committed to limiting public demonstrations and to
tone down anti-GORM rhetoric. September 19 marks the
death anniversary of a prisoner in custody, whose 2003
killing led to a prison riot in which four other
prisoners were shot, with riots ensuing across Male'.
The MDP pledged to mark the anniversary peacefully, and
in response, the government agreed to a September 21
release for MDP chairman Mohamed Nasheed, currently under
house arrest and facing trial on terrorism and sedition
charges. FM Shaheed said he expected "formalized"
cooperation with the MDP on the legislative agenda
following Nasheed's release. He added that if the MDP
maintained its commitments following Nasheed's arrest,
the charges against him would be dropped within a month
after the release. FM Shaheed said that the GORM and MDP
had also agreed to form a police integrity commission
with members nominated by both sides.

-------------- ---
CONTINUED COOPERATION BRIEFLY MARRED BY PROTEST
-------------- ---


7. (U) On August 28, police attempted to arrest an
activist in the southern town of Addu who had been
involved in anti-government demonstrations and was
implicated in an assault on two police officers that
resulted in injuries to them. According to a statement
from the government spokesman, the suspect resisted
arrest, and the police had to subdue him, using pepper
spray in the process. Two women in the vicinity went to
the hospital for treatment following the arrest; one was
released immediately with no injuries reported, and the
other suffered minor eye irritation from the pepper
spray. The opposition countered that the police had been
heavy-handed and abusive during the arrest. A group of
people had gathered to observe events, and an impromptu
protest broke out in Addu, with the crowd demanding the
government-appointed Atoll Chief explain events.


8. (U) According to press reports, rumors of events in
Addu filtered to the capital, Male', and a group of
senior MDP leaders went to the police station to make
inquiries. A crowd soon formed around the police
station, and police asked people to disperse. People
left the immediate vicinity, but crowds gathered along
side streets and police in riot gear came out to patrol
the city. Citizens grew increasingly angry and
occasionally violent, throwing bottles and rocks at
security services. A group surrounded a government
parliamentarian's house, and some threatened to break
down his door, but police intervened and the mob
dispersed without incident. Police made three arrests
for disobedience to order during the demonstrations.


9. (C) In an August 29 telephone conversation with
poloff, FM Shaheed, speaking from Male', expressed
frustration at the turn of events. He said he had been
in touch with MDP moderates throughout the day August 28,
and they had expressed support for the security forces'
actions. However, Shaheed posited, MDP chairman Nasheed
and other "extremist elements" in the MDP supported
violent street action. Shaheed was especially upset that

COLOMBO 00001443 003 OF 003


MDP officials and members had publicly demanded the
resignation of police commissioner Adam Zahir rather than
nominating members to the proposed police integrity
commission as outlined by the cross-party talks.


10. (C) Nasheed, also talking to poloff from Male' by
phone August 29, said that the MDP's agreement was not
with the whole government, but rather, only with the
reformist ministers. He said the MDP did not blame
Shaheed or his colleagues for security forces' perceived
poor conduct, and he expressed hope that reformists
across the aisle could continue to collaborate on reform.
He was not confident, however, that he would actually be
released in late September. On August 30, pro-opposition
media reported that in an interview, Nasheed said MDP
talks with government officials were designed to remove
hard-liners from the cabinet and security services, and
to install MDP members in their places in order to work
with the reformists.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


11. (C) Comment: The talks in Colombo yielded positive
results, with moderates on both sides committing to move
forward on the reform agenda. This is especially
important in light of the bargains made, because while
the GORM continues to deny that prisoners are political,
it uses them as leverage in negotiations. Ultimately,
legislative cooperation should result in codified
protection for citizens and sustainable systemic reform,
ensuring that cases such as Latheef's are not repeated.
While the GORM should be commended on efforts to date, we
should continue to urge further progress. As Shaheed's
comments on Secretary Rice's letter indicate, the voice
of the US carries a great deal of weight in this moderate
Islamic, pro-Western country.


12. (C) Comment cont'd: The August 28 demonstration
seemed to be a spontaneous response to the rapidly
changing political environment. With the outcome of the
MDP-GORM talks guarded from the public at large, it may
be difficult for the MDP to reign in activists. In
addition, Nasheed's deeply unhelpful public interview,
skewing the actual results, will surely create problems
for reformist GORM officials. Nevertheless, there
appears to be enough communication between moderates to
ensure that the reform process continues to trudge
forward, although not always smoothly.
MOORE