Maldives apologetic over intemperate anti-India remarks

Indian diplomat targeted at a political rally in Maldives

MALE: Seeking to mollify New Delhi after intemperate anti-India remarks by a key presidential aide, Maldives has given profound apology as a $514-million airport project carried out by Indian company GMR became a target of political football here.

Immediately after the remarks were made by Abbas Adil Riza at a rally here, Maldives President Mohamed Waheed told the Indian high commissioner that he will take steps to "rectify" the wrong, official sources said today.

Riza, at the rally on Friday night, called Indian envoy Dnyaneshwar Mulay a "traitor" and "an enemy of Maldives".

"A diplomat's job is to work for his country and people and not to protect the interests of one private company," Riza, a political appointee, had said striking an aggressive posture at the rally organised in protest against the leasing of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport to Indian infrastructure major GMR by ex-President Mohamed Nasheed's regime.

"He is a traitor and enemy of Maldives and Maldivian people. We don't want these kind of diplomats on our soil."

In a damage-control exercise later, a statement posted on the official website of President Waheed said the government of Maldives disassociates itself from the remarks made by Riza and some other government officials, saying they did not reflect the views of the government.

In a statement, the Indian high commission said Mulay has condemned the remarks of Riza, asserting they were "against diplomatic protocol".

Mulay also said the government of Maldives has been told that settling issues of huge mutual interest cannot be done on public space or on stage.

Riza later claimed that he had not called Mulay a "traitor" and had just said that "we have a new demand when GMR goes, Mulay should also go."

"I had said people who are supposed to protect highest Indian interests in Maldives are not doing that. They have taken bribe from GMR. They are traitors. I did not take any names...," he said.

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