U.S. Rules Out Snap Polls to End Maldivian Crisis

A top U.S. diplomat Saturday ruled out snap elections to defuse a political crisis in the Maldives as its new president agreed to probe allegations that a military-backed coup vaulted him to power.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian affairs Robert Blake said there should "breathing space" from this week's violence and a vote could be held after strengthening the elections commission and police.

"I don't think anyone believes that elections can be properly held right now," Blake said after talks with President Mohammed Waheed, his predecessor Mohammed Nasheed and civil society representatives.

The new president has also ruled out an election before his term ends in November 2013.

Nasheed, who claims a military-backed coup forced him to step down last Tuesday, had insisted snap polls were crucial to end the political crisis.

There was no immediate comment from the ex-president on Blake's statements.

"In a situation like this everyone must compromise," said Blake, who was on a lightning 12-hour visit to the luxury resort archipelago. "In the days ahead, everyone should look for ways to bridge the differences."

Any more instability could jeopardize the Indian Ocean country's lucrative tourist trade, where hundreds of thousands of high-end travellers and honeymooners visit its pristine islands each year.

Waheed told reporters separately that he had informed Blake of his agreement to probe the circumstances that led to his rise after serving Nasheed as his vice president since the country's first democratic vote in 2008.

"I am fully committed to an independent investigation," Waheed said.

Nasheed has accused Waheed of being part of the plot to turn him out of office.

Waheed said the international community "had not questioned the legality" of his presidency "but there are questions about the circumstances and I am prepared to have them investigated."

Washington on Thursday recognized Waheed's administration but then stepped back from the declaration, saying "circumstances surrounding the transfer of power need to be clarified."

Nasheed's exit from office followed months of protests over high prices and calls for more religiously conservative policies in the nation of Sunni Muslims.

Rioting erupted across the country Wednesday when Nasheed said he was the victim of a military-backed coup and his party's senior members were beaten during a rally in Male. Dozens were wounded, but there were no deaths.

Blake said Nasheed's MDP party was responsible for the violent demonstration and added the police and the Maldivian Defense Force were also responsible for unleashing violence in the southern atolls.

At least 18 police stations were torched and dozens of vehicles, court houses and government buildings were destroyed in remote islets of the archipelago, police said.

Police confirmed they were carrying out mass arrests of troublemakers while Nasheed said 350 people linked to his administration had been detained within three days of his resignation.

Waheed said he would form a national unity government "in a day or two" and leave several positions open for former president Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Waheed acknowledged Nasheed was a "celebrity and popular on the streets," but urged him to restrain his supporters.

Nasheed had become an environmental star for urging global action to tackle climate change that he said threatened to submerge his island nation.

There is a warrant for Nasheed's arrest but Waheed insisted he would not be taken into custody. There has been intense diplomatic pressure on the government not to detain Nasheed and escalate unrest.

A U.N. special envoy, Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, arrived in the Maldives Friday and met both sides.

A delegation from neighboring India was also visiting while an EU mission was headed for the tropical nation.