'BD expects concrete steps from UN to send back Rohingyas'

Bangladesh expects concrete steps through the UN Security Council so that the ‘forcibly displaced people from Myanmar’ in Bangladesh can go back to their homeland smoothly and without any fear. 

"…we expect such steps through which they (Rohingyas) will return to their homeland smoothly," Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters on Wednesday, reports UNB. 

He said the countries which are not members of the UNSC can also give their speeches in the open debate of the UNSC on Thursday.

"Bangladesh will also place its remarks (through envoy) in the debate," he said. 

The UN Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the crisis, diplomatic sources said. 

Earlier, the Foreign Minister briefed the nine diplomats stationed in Dhaka representing the countries which are members of the UN Security Council over Rohingya issue at the state guesthouse. 

The Council is composed of 15 Members with five permanent members -- China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States-- and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term date). 

Apart from the five permanent members, diplomats of Japan, Italy, Sweden and Egypt attended the briefing. 

State Minister for Foreign M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque were also present. 

The Foreign Minister said all the countries have sympathy and support for Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue.  "Bangladesh wants a peaceful solution. We don't want to get involved in any conflict," Ali said. 

He said the five-point proposal made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the UNGA will be the base of Bangladesh's voice in the open UNSC debate on Thursday with further elaboration. 

The Foreign Minister also said the State Counsellor's Office of Myanmar is sending their minister who wants to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"You know the Prime Minister is now in the USA," he said indicating that Bangladesh wants to wait until the PM's return. 

India, China and the United States are ‘strongly with Bangladesh’ over Rohingya issue and Myanmar is now ‘absolutely cornered’ amid mounting international pressure on the Southeast Asian country, says a government source. 

Bangladesh, at this point, is expecting a ‘concrete steps’ through UNSC resolution to resolve the crisis as ‘forcibly displaced people from Myanmar’ continued flooding Bangladesh as the current figure of new arrivals stand at 449,000.  

“We’re working behind the scene. There’re signs. We want to keep up the momentum (in diplomacy) but we need more time to take the momentum to the next stage to have concrete outcomes,” the highly placed source said on Tuesday.