UN special envoy meets with new Maldives government

MALE, Maldives - A UN special envoy arrived on Friday for talks with the new administration in the Maldives, as former president Mohamed Nasheed demanded fresh elections after being ousted in what he called a coup d'etat.

Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco reached the nation's capital of Male on Friday and held an hour-long meeting with new President Mohamed Waheed, who has won crucial backing from the United States.

Three weeks of opposition-led protests were capped on Tuesday by a police mutiny that led to Nasheed's dramatic resignation, which he said was "forced" when armed rebel officers threatened him with violence unless he stepped down.