UN didn't send any special letter to Dhaka to declare emergency: Renata
Sunday, 18 April 2010
UN Resident Coordinator Renata Lok-Dessallien, who had triggered debates for her reported role in 1/11 episode, has disclosed that the UN did not send any "special letter" to then Bangladesh government that led to the postponement of the elections and declaration of the State of Emergency.
"International community including the UN did not interfere in any way. Our only concern was to create conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections," she said in a pre-departure interview with the news agency, reports UNB.
Renata, who leaves the city today (Sunday) to take up her new assignment in China after more than three years of eventful tenure in Bangladesh, did not agree with former Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed's contention that the Bangladesh army personnel would lose jobs in the UN peacekeeping mission if the army plays any role in the parliamentary polls originally slated for January 22, 2007.
"This was never discussed," the outgoing UN senior official asserted.
Gen (retd) Moeen in his book "Shantir Swapne" (Dream for Peace) said that on January 11 he received a phone call from UN Under secretary general for peacekeeping Guehenno who told him that the elections without participation of all political parties would not be acceptable.
"If the army plays any role in such elections, the UN will consider with due importance the withdrawal of the Bangladesh army from the UN peacekeeping missions," Moeen quoted Guehenno as having said over phone.
Recalling the pre-election street violence, Renata said the UN secretary general had expressed his concern on several occasions, starting at the time of street violence in October 2006 and early 2007.
Several missions of the UN electoral specialists had visited Bangladesh while the secretary general appointed a personal envoy who visited Dhaka in December 2006. He met with the major political parties and urged them repeatedly to engage in dialogue, to be accommodative and to find a solution that both political alliances could accept.
"Telephone calls from high level UN officials to Dhaka were made to try to defuse the rising tensions so as to allow more space and time for the parties to negotiate an acceptable solution," Renata said.
She said when the UN secretary general and any UN staff make any statement, the copy was sent to the respective governments ahead of the issuance of such statements to the press according to international practice.
Asked about the separate meetings of western diplomats with senior AL and BNP leaders at the residence of the Canadian High Commis-sioner on January 11, 2007, Renata said the meeting with the BNP leaders was dispersed in the afternoon as the news of declaring the State of Emergency had been circulated by that time.
She said the main message of all these statements and meetings were to resolve the issue through dialogue and in non-violent fashion. "There was no interference. There was continuing urgings for accommodation" to resolve the issue to avoid violence.
Asked about the performance of the Fakhruddin's caretaker government, Renata said "we focused on elections" but general criticisms were that the government was doing too much and it had a broad agenda.
She recalled a number of impediments like floods twice, cyclone, food crisis in the wake of price-hike of food and oil at the international market and spread of avian flu. It is difficult for a caretaker government with 10 Advisors to deal with all these problems.
"International community including the UN did not interfere in any way. Our only concern was to create conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections," she said in a pre-departure interview with the news agency, reports UNB.
Renata, who leaves the city today (Sunday) to take up her new assignment in China after more than three years of eventful tenure in Bangladesh, did not agree with former Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed's contention that the Bangladesh army personnel would lose jobs in the UN peacekeeping mission if the army plays any role in the parliamentary polls originally slated for January 22, 2007.
"This was never discussed," the outgoing UN senior official asserted.
Gen (retd) Moeen in his book "Shantir Swapne" (Dream for Peace) said that on January 11 he received a phone call from UN Under secretary general for peacekeeping Guehenno who told him that the elections without participation of all political parties would not be acceptable.
"If the army plays any role in such elections, the UN will consider with due importance the withdrawal of the Bangladesh army from the UN peacekeeping missions," Moeen quoted Guehenno as having said over phone.
Recalling the pre-election street violence, Renata said the UN secretary general had expressed his concern on several occasions, starting at the time of street violence in October 2006 and early 2007.
Several missions of the UN electoral specialists had visited Bangladesh while the secretary general appointed a personal envoy who visited Dhaka in December 2006. He met with the major political parties and urged them repeatedly to engage in dialogue, to be accommodative and to find a solution that both political alliances could accept.
"Telephone calls from high level UN officials to Dhaka were made to try to defuse the rising tensions so as to allow more space and time for the parties to negotiate an acceptable solution," Renata said.
She said when the UN secretary general and any UN staff make any statement, the copy was sent to the respective governments ahead of the issuance of such statements to the press according to international practice.
Asked about the separate meetings of western diplomats with senior AL and BNP leaders at the residence of the Canadian High Commis-sioner on January 11, 2007, Renata said the meeting with the BNP leaders was dispersed in the afternoon as the news of declaring the State of Emergency had been circulated by that time.
She said the main message of all these statements and meetings were to resolve the issue through dialogue and in non-violent fashion. "There was no interference. There was continuing urgings for accommodation" to resolve the issue to avoid violence.
Asked about the performance of the Fakhruddin's caretaker government, Renata said "we focused on elections" but general criticisms were that the government was doing too much and it had a broad agenda.
She recalled a number of impediments like floods twice, cyclone, food crisis in the wake of price-hike of food and oil at the international market and spread of avian flu. It is difficult for a caretaker government with 10 Advisors to deal with all these problems.