MP to submit motion against maritime agreement

Thimarafushi MP Mohamed Musthafa said last night that he planned to submit a motion to the parliament against the new agreement signed between the Maldivian and Sri Lankan governments to facilitate Sri Lankan vessels to cross the Maldivian Territorial waters when travelling to the Arabian Sea.

The maritime agreement was signed in the light of Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Neoma lPerera’s recent visit to the Maldives, confirmed the ministry.

Musthafa, who belongs to the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), expressed concern over the agreement and informed the government of his decision in an SMS sent to Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem who is currently accompanying President Mohamed Nasheed in his visit to the Seychelles.

In his message to the Foreign Minister Musthafa said that allowing Sri Lankan vessels to cross Maldivian waters was an opportunity given, “to steal fish from the seas of this nation." Musthafa claimed that Sri Lanka had been attempting to get Maldives to agree on the matter for a long time.

“There are a lot of spots where fish gather along the stretch between the Gulf of Aden and Seychelles and the Sri Lankan Fisheries Ministry is well aware of the fact. The territorial waters of the Maldives belong to the Maldivian people and such a decision can only be reached after a referendum. I regret to say that I plan to submit a resolution against the agreement to the parliament very soon," Musthafa told the Foreign Minister.

In an interview with Haveeru, later Musthafa said that the agreement was, “a very dangerous step” taken by the government and that its dire effects would be felt by all Maldivians. He also claimed that he had secured the support of all MPs against the agreement.

“The way I see it, if Sri Lankan vessels are allowed to cross Maldivian waters, the Sri Lankan government has to pay a fee to the Maldivian government. Even in 1983 the Maldivian government had complained in the United Nations (UN) about tonnes of fish being extracted from our territorial waters after the Seychelles government sold fishing licenses to the country’s vessels. This agreement could start a similar cycle. This is dangerous," he warned.

Earlier, the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) also raised concern over the agreement.

The Maldives-Lanka maritime agreement will enable Sri Lankan fishermen to journey to the Arabian Sea via Maldivian waters rather than taking a longer route, read a press release issued by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.

“If our Embassy in Maldives is informed 48 hours in advance, then arrangements could be made for them to travel through Maldives. This would save time and fuel costs for Sri Lankan vessels travelling to the Arabian Sea,” Perera said. (HNS)