Rohingya issue

UNHCR delegation to visit BD

DHAKA: A delegation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will visit here to settle the Rohingya problem between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
 
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni made the positive response as chief of UNHCR and High Commissioner António Guterres proposed to the Bangladesh foreign minister.

Earlier in the day, the foreign minister had a bilateral meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on the sidelines of the OIC Ministerial Meeting at Ashgabat of Turkmenistan Sunday.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister once again requested for the help of UNHCR in resumption of repatriation process of the Myanmar refugees.

Guterres opined that there might be some differences in understanding between the UNHCR and the concerned governments about different aspects of this refugee problem.

To clarify all the issues with UNHCR, he suggested that the Government of Bangladesh may consider sending a team to Geneva or UNHCR may send a team to Dhaka.

Dipu Moni preferred the second option. She concluded by requesting UNHCR Chief to adequately sensitize the UNHCR Dhaka office to take necessary measures to resume the repatriation process that has been stalled since 2005.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni Saturday placed the Rohingya refugee problem in Bangladesh before the OIC conference with a view to resolving the issue.
The minister placed the issue while addressing the international ministerial conference on ‘Refugees in the Muslim World’ at Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.

The conference--jointly organized by the OIC and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)--is the first ministerial-level meeting to deal specifically with the issue of refugees in the Muslim world.

BDST: 1947 HRS, MAY 13, 2012

Edited by: M. Mahbub Alam, Asst Output Editor