High-level UN panel due next week

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has welcomed lifting of the state of emergency in Bangladesh, Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury told the media Thursday. Ban Ki-moon has described it as a 'positive step towards ensuring the rights of all Bangladeshis to a free, fair and credible parliamentary election,' the adviser added. Dr Iftekhar said a high-level panel of the secretary-general, headed by Francesc Vendrell, will return to Bangladesh next week to assess and report on the preparations for the elections and on developments in the immediate post-election period. — BSS