‘Security Council visit will have a positive impact’

The visit of a UN Security Council delegation to Bangladesh and Myanmar is a positive step towards resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Masud Bin Momen has said. “A person can read, learn, or discuss a lot about something, but seeing with their own eyes makes for a completely different realization,” Masud told the Bangla Tribune in a recent conversation. The UNSC delegation visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh on Sunday and left for a visit to the Rakhine state in Myanmar on Monday morning. “The delegates will be going back to New York and talking about what they witnessed first-hand during this visit. They will also determine the next course of action, which could possibly include a binding resolution,” Masud said. The diplomat pointed out that the delegates had seen the refugees stuck in no-man’s land. “They heard the Rohingyas’ accounts of their sufferings and expressed solidarity with them. They spoke to the government and experienced the situation on the ground. “This will have a positive impact that will contribute to the Security Council’s resolution or their next plan of action,” he said. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the UNSC delegates said the council would not be taking any decisions or take any action against Myanmar. But they would not let the issue die out and would call upon Myanmar to resolve the crisis. Masud, however, said the council had moved away from their former position. “It used to be impossible to raise the issue of Rohingyas or the situation in Myanmar at the Security Council. But it gradually came under ‘any other business’ and has now become a part of regular agenda,” he said. The Council president’s statement on the situation in Myanmar was an unprecedented move, he added. “I have said before that we are in conversation with Myanmar bilaterally. We also want to keep up the international pressure. We are keeping the international community informed.” “We have told them before and also during this visit that more than a million Rohingya have crossed the border from Rakhine,” Masud added. The UNSC delegation came to Cox’s Bazar from Kuwait on Saturday. On Sunday they visited the zero point and the Kutupalong Refugee Camp.  The article was first published on banglatribune.com