Oscar Fernandez-Taranco
UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco has extended his stay here by 24 hours and deferred his meeting with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for tomorrow to hold more talks to break the political deadlock.
The UN office in Dhaka confirmed The Daily Star that the UN emissary was not availing the 9:00pm flight today, like he was scheduled to, as he preferred to stay back and hold more discussion with the political stakeholders here.
“There is a need to hold more talks. The situation might take a positive turn,” a UN official said.
The decision to extend his visit came shortly after the start of a meeting between Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a house in Baridhara in the capital.
Sources in the AL and the BNP confirmed that Taranco convinced both the parties for a secretary-level dialogue to break the deadlock.
Following the development, his meeting with the PM, scheduled to start at 4:00am at Gono Bhaban, was rescheduled at 10:30am tomorrow, Noore Elahi Mina, PM’s assistant press secretary, told The Daily Star.
The meeting would be held at Prime Minister’s Office, he added.
Meanwhile, the UN official’s press briefing, which was scheduled to be held at 5:30pm at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, has also been postponed.
The fresh schedule for media briefing has not been confirmed yet.
Source: The Daily Star
