EU targets judicial reform discussions with President Waheed
19 Feb 2012, 9:16 AM
Neil Merrett
The European Union has said it will continue trying to work with Maldivian authorities to reform the country’s judiciary following requests for assistance made by Mohamed Nasheed “shortly” before Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan became president this month in an alleged “coup d’etat”.
Nasheed was replaced by his Vice President Dr Waheed after “resigning” his presidency on February 7 – a decision he later claimed had been forced upon him by opposition figures and security forces unhappy, in part, with his commitments to reform the nation’s judicial system.
A spokesperson for Catherine Ashton, the Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, has said the bloc now hoped to open discussions with Dr Waheed’s government over judicial reform on the back of concerns raised by former President Nasheed about the conduct of the nation’s judges.
“Shortly before the events of February 6 to February 7, we were asked for assistance [with judicial reform], as were the UN and Commonwealth. We were ready to look into this matter and hope to discuss the matter further with the Maldivian authorities,” added the spokesperson for High Representative Ashton.
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