Oscar Fernandez Taranco, the UN secretary-general’s special emissary who is now working as head of peacebuilding support office, may come to Bangladesh if the situation in the country demands and allows.
Fernandez Taranco
A spokesperson for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said this when his attention was drawn to Bangladesh’s current situation marked by violent attacks and cases against opposition leaders.
However, the United Nations maintains that a possible mediation would depend on willingness of the political actors in Bangladesh to come to an understanding.
“He (Taranco) has travelled to Bangladesh in the past, and he will do so again as circumstances allow. Ultimately, that depends, of course, on the willingness of the parties to deal with each other,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman of the UN secretary-general, said during a briefing on Monday.
He added, “We encourage them to do that, to be willing to deal with each other in a peaceful and amicable fashion.”
As special emissary of Ban Ki-moon, Taranco visited Bangladesh before the one-sided ballot in 2014 to facilitate dialogue between the rival political camps.
The spokesperson was asked about the recent violent attacks and killing of secularist bloggers and religious leaders.
He reiterated the concerns expressed by the secretary general and the high commissioner for human rights after the recent spate of violent attacks that claimed a number of lives.
Source: Prothom Alo
