Amid the escalation of violence and absence of political compromise over the polls-time government, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco is going to visit Bangladesh in the first week of December to see for himself the election preparations of the political parties.
The UN envoy is expected to reach Dhaka on December 7, diplomatic sources said though it could not be known how many days he will stay here.
The UN envoy is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, opposition leader Khaleda Zia and other political party chiefs and civil society representatives during his visit to help ensure free, fair and credible polls in Bangladesh.
He will report back to the UN chief on the outcome of his Bangladesh visit ahead of the election, said an official source.
Taranco visited Bangladesh from May 10 to 13 at the request of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
During his stay in Dhaka, he met the Prime Minister, the BNP Chairperson, the Speaker of Parliament, the Foreign Minister, the Chief Election Commissioner, leaders of major political parties, and the representatives of civil society and the media.
As part of his visit, Taranco conveyed to all interlocutors a strong message from the Secretary-General about the urgent need for more meaningful and constructive political dialogue to create conducive conditions for the successful holding of the election.
He also briefed the Secretary-General on his return and shared the messages and views of those that he had met.
In his last visit, the UN envoy stressed the need for an early solution to the issue of a polls-time government through dialogue to ensure a free, fair and peaceful national election reminding political parties that ‘time is running out’.
Earlier, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and urged them to hold talks for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing political crisis.
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Neal Walker met Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque today at the latter’s office and discussed various issues including the visit of UN envoy Taranco.
Source: UNB Connect
