Maldives' oppn, ruling parties thank India

Maldives' ousted President Mohammed Nasheed's MDP party has said that it was grateful to India for its "timely intervention" to help resolve the political impasse here, a view shared by the new regime as well.

"It has been a positive movement, a forward movement. India's role was very much important in ensuring that political and democratic process is on," Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, a senior MDP leader and close aide of Nasheed, told PTI here.

"We are grateful to India for the timely intervention," Zaki, the then Special Envoy to Nasheed, said.

New Maldivian President Mohammad Waheed Hassan too thanked India for its efforts aimed at ending the political crisis here.

"I wish to personally thank the Indian Foreign Secretary for his good offices in facilitating this agreement which needed all sides to put aside partisan interest for the sake of the country," a statement released by the President's office said.

The new government, which had been insisting that the polls would be held only in 2013 as scheduled, appears to have changed its strategy following hectic parleys that Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had with all stakeholders here, including Nasheed.

Mathai said India's understanding was that elections "would be held as early as considered feasible by all concerned".

Maldives was hit by deepening political crisis last week when Nasheed resigned, claiming that he was forced to quit.