US withholds visa for Maldives minister for UN Palestine summit
Multiple sources have confirmed that Dr Shaheem was unable to travel as his visa was not approved.
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The United States has withheld a visa for Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, preventing him from attending a United Nations summit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The High-Level International Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution began Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York.
The Maldives is currently represented at the summit by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Dr Shaheem was unable to travel as his visa was not approved. As in previous instances, his application was submitted through the US Embassy in the Maldives.
According to the sources, no formal response has been received regarding his visa application. Under standard procedure, applicants are informed whether their visa is accepted or rejected. In this case, the absence of a decision has led to the belief that the visa has been withheld.
Dr Shaheem was not available for comment when contacted.
