UN envoy holds hectic parleys to resolve standoff in B'desh

A top UN diplomat today held hectic parleys to resolve the political deadlock in Bangladesh over deferring January 5 general election, meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her arch-rival Khaleda Zia, Chief Election Commissioner and India's envoy here.
As international efforts were on to resolve the stand-off between Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance headed by Zia, Hasina met President Abdul Hamid and apprised him with the situation.
"She briefed the president about the current political situation," presidential palace spokesman Ihsanul Karim told PTI without giving details.
The ruling Awami League general secretary and local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam accompanied the premier during the one-hour meeting in the evening, Karim said.

UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, on the second day of his five-day visit to defuse the crisis in Bangladesh, met Hasina for a second time.
He also met Zia, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed and Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran.

The meeting with Saran was held at the Indian High Commission this evening. However, the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, BD News reported.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Ahmed today said a lot of things are possible under the framework of law if a consensus is reached among political parties.
The CEC said this during the meeting with Taranco at the Election Commission secretariat earlier in the day.

"The delegation wanted to know whether it is possible to defer the election and I told them that there are scopes for everything if an understanding is reached," the CEC was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.
Taranco, who leads political mission as a special envoy of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, also held talks with several civil society figures such as Jatiya Party (JP) chief and former military ruler H M Ershad.
Ershad, reappeared on the political centre stage against the backdrop of feuds between the two major parties, 23 years after his ouster in an uprising.
In a surprise announcement last week, the former military ruler said his JP, a crucial ally of the ruling Grand Alliance, would stay off the polls due to lack of "atmosphere" but later said he would contest the elections if BNP's participation was ensured.