Lord Naseby and Lady Naseby call on President

Chairman of the British-Maldives All-Party Parliamentary Group, Lord Naseby and Lady Naseby called on the President today. The meeting was held at the President's Office.

Lord Naseby briefed the President on the purpose of his current visit. He said that he was focusing on the progress of the post-tsunami recovery effort and the ongoing constitutional reform program. He welcomed the efforts to ensure that the country attained full national recovery from the devastating effects of the Tsunami.

President Gayoom briefed the Chairman of the British-Maldives All-Party Parliamentary Group on the current status of the post-tsunami recovery program, and emphasized the high priority that the Government attached to the speedy conclusion of the program. He also noted that the People's Special Majlis was working hard to complete constitutional reforms. He expressed his confidence that the new Constitution would be passed soon.

President Gayoom stressed that the Government was fully committed to ensuring that that the very first multiparty presidential election, which is scheduled for later this year, would be free and fair. He said that the Government would introduce institutional and electoral reforms laid out in his Roadmap in time for the election. He also pointed out that the election would be monitored by reputed international observers.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mohamed Hussain, Ambassador-at-Large, Mohamed Shareef and the Deputy Minister at the President's Office, Dr. Hala Hameed.