The new president of the Maldives said Saturday that he was ready to face an independent investigation into the transfer of power in the Indian Ocean nation that his predecessor alleges was a coup. President Mohammed Waheed Hassan said he had given an assurance to visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake that he was willing to submit to a probe by an independent body as questions had arisen about his takeover of power. Blake flew into the Maldives early Saturday and also met with Nasheed, who resigned Tuesday after police joined months of street protests against his rule and soldiers defected. He was replaced by Hassan, his vice president. Nasheed later said he was ousted in a coup, and there is an arrest warrant against him. The new government denies the coup claims and insists Nasheed stepped down voluntarily. It has made no move to arrest Nasheed, who is living openly in his home in the capital, Male. Soon after the meeting with Blake, Hassan told journalists that he wanted an independent investigation into the circumstances that led to Nasheed's removal. “There are constitutional mechanisms to do that,” Hassan said. He insisted that no one had questioned the legality of his assuming office. However, “there are some questions as to what preceded my assumption of office. This is why we are saying we are completely open to an independent investigation,” Hassan said. Hassan urged political leaders to eschew violence, alleging Nasheed's supporters had torched police stations and a court house in the southernmost atoll, Addu, Wednesday.
