Ban offers UN help for free, fair polls in BD

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FE Report The visiting Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that UN is ready to extend technical and logistic supports to Bangladesh to ensure free and fair election in Bangladesh. He underscored the need for conducting the next election in a credible manner. "If major political parties seek cooperation from the UN for holding credible election in the country, we are ready to extend technical and logistic supports to Bangladesh for the next election to be held in 2014," Ban Ki-moon told a media briefing, held in a local hotel. "The next election should be conducted in a transparent and credible way," he added. The UN chief in his brief speech to media personalities said Bangladesh has achieved significant successes in reducing child and maternal mortality rates and expanding the coverage of information technology. Hailing the country's socio-economic development, Ban Ki-moon said Bangladesh is now in the frontline of development solution as the country is now in a position to contribute much to the rest of the world. He assured of utmost support from the UN towards getting a suitable international deal from the ensuing Copenhagen Climate Conference for climate vulnerable countries like Bangladesh. Asked, the UN Secretary General declined to make any comment on demand of major opposition parties for restoring caretaker system for holding the next general election in Bangladesh. "As a Secretary General of the UN, I cannot make any comment on your domestic matter. It is your system, your choice," he told reporters responding to a question. Ban Ki-moon said dialogue is imperative among political leaders of conflicting parties to solve the crises in the political system. He said he had urged both Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia for their mutual initiatives to resolve the political impasses on the issue of caretaker government. The UN Chief appreciated the role of Bangladesh soldiers in the UN peace keeping missions and said the number of existing peace keeping soldiers from Bangladesh is 10,600, which is the highest.