The new president of the Maldives, Mohammed Waheed Hassan said Saturday he had given an assurance to the visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake that he was willing to submit to a probe by an independent body about his takeover of power. Blake flew into the Maldives early Saturday to assess the political situation in Maldives after the former president Mohamed Nasheed said he was ousted in a coup. Blake also met with Nasheed and was scheduled to meet other leaders of the island republic later Saturday, according to a report of the Associated Press. Nasheed 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 has announced his intention to form a coalition to help restore stability ahead of presidential elections due next year. However, Nasheed is calling for early elections, insisting his party would emerge victorious. The United States initially recognized the new Maldives government on Friday. It later backtracked, saying the situation was unclear and called for an investigation into the transfer of power.
