The United Nations has said it wants a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis and Oscar Fernández Taranco, head of its Peacebuilding Office, to liaise with the government and opposition leaders on the matter.
“We continue to deplore the loss of life [in Bangladesh]. And I think the key message is for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis,” said UN secretary-general’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric at a regular briefing yesterday.
He reiterated that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is obviously personally committed to the stability of and development in Bangladesh.
Earlier in his brief statement on Taranco’s role, Dujarric said: “I can tell you that as part of his functions, he is in regular contact with member states, including the United States.”
In his meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, Fernández-Taranco discussed, among other issues, the situation in Bangladesh, expressing concern about the escalation of violence and stressing the need for peaceful de-escalation of the situation.
Before the January-5 elections, Taranco, then UN assistant secretary general for political affairs came to Bangladesh and held a series of talks with the Awami League and BNP alliances.
However, he left the country leaving a note for Bangladeshi leaderships that the solution has to be a homegrown one.
“I firmly believe there’s a ground for an agreement...Bangladesh leaders must continue to come together. I encouraged both sides to continue the dialogue in the spirit of goodwill and compromise,” he told reporters after wrapping up his six-day hectic tour at that time.