Maldives opposition leader says change inevitable

COLOMBO, Sep 22 (Reuters) A senior Maldives opposition leader freed after over a year in custody on charges of treason and sedition today said that political change in the Indian Ocean archipelago was inevitable.

Mohamed Nasheed, chairman of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), was relishing his liberty today, less than 24 hours after being released in the capital, Male.

''It is wonderful to be out, to be able to mix with friends and family,'' he told Reuters by telephone, ''but our work will go on.

There will be no let up.'' Nasheed was arrested on Aug. 12 last year during an MDP rally and appeared in court two months later accused of inciting the overthrow of the government, terrorism and sedition.

He faced life in prison if found guilty, and is the second senior party figure to be freed in five weeks, cases that have outraged human rights groups.

Maldives Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed told Reuters yesterday that the charges would remain ''for the moment'', but would likely be dropped in coming months.

He said Nasheed had been released after consultation between the government and MDP as part of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's pledge to change the political landscape in the Maldives, which lies 800 km off the toe of India.

ASIA'S LONGEST SERVING RULER Gayoom, Asia's longest-serving ruler with 28 years in power, has long promised to reform the constitution, but opponents and critics say he has baulked at actually implementing change.

''Change is inevitable now,'' Nasheed said today. ''We are confident that the government has reached a position where they can't go back.

''The country is on the brink of a revolution. To avert a messy reformation, the government has realised there is no going back.'' With a population of around 300,000 mostly Sunni Muslims, the Maldives is heavily dependent on foreign tourists at its luxury resorts for revenue, and Nasheed said international pressure had helped focus Gayoom's mind.

''The pressure has been building on him,'' he said of the president, currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

Gayoom's administration accuses the MDP of trying to stymie planned reforms, but Nasheed said his party would work enthusiastically with the government to ensure the next stages of the reform process can proceed smoothly.

''They have cleared most obstacles and so we are ready to move forward,'' he said, adding that only two steps remained for the process to be complete.

''We have to get the constitution amended and rectified in the next few months,'' he said. ''After that, the last step is full and fair democratic elections held under the banner of the new constitution.'' Reuters DKA GC1732