Government-initiated all-party talks will resume with a timeline for achieving the set goals, Fisheries Minister Dr. Mohamed Shainee says.
He was speaking to the media on Monday about the latest on resuscitating the stalled talks, following the arrival of the United Nations special envoy to the Maldives Tamrat Samuel, who will mediate the talks.
Speaking to the media at the President’s Office, Dr. Shainee said that “the opposition’s preconditions for the talks are constantly shifting”. He added that “the government aims for the talks to be substantive, and we will formulate a timeline of targets we want to achieve through the talks”.
He, however, declined to disclose further details of what the government aims to achieve through the talks.
The talks are set to resume on Tuesday (July 19) with the arrival of Tamrat Samuel, who is a Senior Advisor in the UN Department of Political Affairs.
Reiterating earlier comments that the government does not have any preconditions for the talks, Dr. Shainee reassured the government’s commitment to facilitating successful talks.
Responding to allegations by the opposition of the absence of conducive environment for the talks, Dr. Shainee said that “the government will be unable to facilitate holding the talks in the United Kingdom, where a number of key opposition leaders are currently residing”.