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Opposition seeks President's letter to Mauritius; visits PO

Malika Shahid
07 June 2023, MVT 14:12
[File] Opposition PPM and PNC members attending the opening session of the parliament: PPM have raised concern over the non disclosure of the letter sent to Mauritius
Malika Shahid
07 June 2023, MVT 14:12

The opposition has gone to the President's Office today to seek the letter sent by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Prime Minister of Mauritius.

A message from the opposition Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) stated that the opposition parliamentary group visited the President's office at 11:30 a.m. today in order to obtain the President's letter.

However, the President's Office said that no request for an appointment for an official meeting with the PPM and PNC had been made.

The opposition has raised serious allegations regarding President Solih's letter to Mauritius and has even initiated a no-confidence motion against Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath regarding the Maldives-Mauritius maritime boundary issue. However, during the voting process, disruptions occurred in the parliament due to a violation of a point of order.

The opposition visited the President's Office today while the decision regarding the vote was still pending.

President Solih had sent a letter to the Mauritian Prime Minister regarding the Chagos Archipelago and the Maldives' stance on the matter. The letter expressed support for Mauritius' sovereignty over Chagos in the next United Nations vote.

The Parliament's 241 Committee has also made the decision to request the letter sent by President Solih to Mauritius.

"... A decision regarding the President's letter has not been made because the 241 committee has not been held. On the first day of the 241 committee, if I remain in the chair, I intend to send a letter to the President's Office," the MDP Parliamentary Group Leader Mohamed Aslam said.

The ITLOS decision said that Mauritius had withdrawn its petition seeking a direction for the Maldives to pay at least 460,000 Euros as expenses related to the study of the Blainheim Reef for the purpose of the case.

"The contents of the letter I sent are detailed in the judgment. We have never supported colonization of countries. However, we had a claim in ITLOS that Mauritius does not have a claim in the Chagos Archipelago, which we later protested. Meaning we agree that Mauritius has a claim on Chagos. If the issue comes up, this is our stand. We will not recognize Chagos as a British territory," President Solih explained the contents of the letter, emphasizing that the non-disclosure of the letter's contents would not harm the Maldivian people.

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