Bangladesh's most pressing need is peaceful transition to democracy: UN SG
Sunday, 2 November 2008
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Bangladesh's most pressing need is to ensure a peaceful transition back to democracy and for the upcoming elected government to consolidate the democracy and reform to stem a recurrence of confrontational politics, reports UNB.
"This is an opportunity for the country, and in particular the political parties, to address the serious problems that have given rise to the politics of confrontation and violence," he told a banquet at the Sheraton Hotel Saturday night.
Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and his wife Neena Ahmed hosted the banquet in honour of the visiting UN secretary general and his spouse Ban Soon-Taek.
The chief executive of the United Nations arrived in the city in the evening on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, at a crucial time when the country is striving to steer clear of a serious crisis over election issues that had prompted the current state of emergency.
In his banquet speech the UN secretary general said the current political dialogue between the government and the political parties in the process of transition must succeed.
"But equally important is for an ongoing, constructive dialogue to take shape between the leadership of the two main political parties, so as to stabilise and strengthen the quality of democracy in this country," Ban Ki-moon told the function.
He did not name Awami League and BNP, the two former ruling parties whose rivalry is broadly blamed for confrontation in politics and the eventual 1/11 changeover.
"This is an opportunity for the country, and in particular the political parties, to address the serious problems that have given rise to the politics of confrontation and violence," he told a banquet at the Sheraton Hotel Saturday night.
Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and his wife Neena Ahmed hosted the banquet in honour of the visiting UN secretary general and his spouse Ban Soon-Taek.
The chief executive of the United Nations arrived in the city in the evening on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, at a crucial time when the country is striving to steer clear of a serious crisis over election issues that had prompted the current state of emergency.
In his banquet speech the UN secretary general said the current political dialogue between the government and the political parties in the process of transition must succeed.
"But equally important is for an ongoing, constructive dialogue to take shape between the leadership of the two main political parties, so as to stabilise and strengthen the quality of democracy in this country," Ban Ki-moon told the function.
He did not name Awami League and BNP, the two former ruling parties whose rivalry is broadly blamed for confrontation in politics and the eventual 1/11 changeover.