The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) said Monday its priority is to help speed up the Rohingya repatriation deal signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar to ensure safe and voluntary return of the refugees.
"This is a humanitarian crisis and human rights issue. What we have seen is not acceptable," Mansur Ayad Al Otabi, representative of Kuwait in the UNSC, told reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport prior to the Council team's departure for Myanmar. "It'll remain on our agenda. We cannot remain silent. This is the message we want to give to Myanmar and to the international community."
While the Security Council is not expecting a "quick solution" but he said upon return to New York, it would try its best to implement the repatriation agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar to ensure safe and voluntary return of the Rohingya refugees as soon as possible.
He was flanked by Ambassador Karen Pierce, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN and leader of the UNSC team Gustavo Meza Cuadra.
The 15-member Council team, which arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday, visited Rohingya camps on Sunday to have a firsthand account of the Rohingya situation.
The team members met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban in the morning.
Responding to a question, Mr Otabi said China and Russia were also serious about resolving the crisis.
"There is no resistance from China and Russia. They also said they want to see a solution to the crisis and are working with us," Mr Otabi said.
Responding to a question whether the UNSC was protecting Myanmar, he said it was not protecting anybody.
Asked whether they would back the ICC move to hold Myanmar accountable for the atrocities against the Rohingya, he said both Myanmar and Bangladesh were parties to many international conventions and there were international laws for crime against humanity, which everybody would abide by.
"We heard that the ICC adopted a move and they had started a fact-finding mission but the Security Council is different as it deals with peace and security," he said.
On this issue, Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, said, "You need to have a proper judicial and quasi-judicial investigation with proper evidences and then a proper follow up to be able to make the determination in law."
"The fact-finding missions do not do that, they collect evidence, they make an assessment. But this is not a legal determination whether or not we can get an accountability mechanism. So, it is very difficult in the Security Council for reasons-you know well," she added.
"But the Myanmar authorities have started their own investigation. We may feel that is too little, too late, but we want to talk to the Myanmar authorities about it, how they see accountability in this case and try to explore what might be done beyond that," she added.
Responding to a question whether the UN was 'acting very slow' on this issue, leader of the UNSC team Gustavo Meza Cuadra said, "That's why we are here."
The UNSC had backed the Bangladesh-Myanmar repatriation deal in November and wants to see the implementation of it, he added.
The UN and the international community are grateful to the Bangladesh government and its people for extending shelter to the millions of refugees, he said, while wrapping up the briefing.
The UNSC team left for Myanmar at around 11.30 am.
They are scheduled to meet Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday and visit Rakhine on Tuesday before flying to New York.
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