UNSC failure to strike resolution on rohingyas

Dhaka needs to keep up pressure, say experts

The Rohingya issue received a lot of exposure at the United Nations Security Council meeting but the deliberations ended without a joint resolution to resolve the long-standing humanitarian crisis, as Russia and China, countries with veto power, took the side with Myanmar.
International relations experts say the world community has been moved by the Rohingya crisis, which is an optimistic sign, but it has also suggested the matter be bilaterally solved, leaving some grey areas.
 With the Security Council failing to agree on a joint resolution to address the Rohingya crisis, it has now become difficult for Bangladesh to take any bold step, at least for the time being.
However, experts say Bangladesh has achieved on several counts from the Security Council meeting.
They say Bangladesh has to keep up its pressure on international bodies to garner their support to resolve the long-standing crisis.
The diplomatic matter has to be resolved diplomatically and that would take a long time, as nothing can be obtained within a short time to address the Rohingya crisis, experts feel. “We have achieved a lot of things. It’s a diplomatic issue; it will take time. If you want to get diplomatic results, you have to wait not for weeks but for months,” Prof. Dr Delwar Hossain, chairman of the International Relations department of Dhaka University, told The Independent yesterday.

“The UN Security Council has taken the Rohingya issue seriously and much discussion has taken place. Russia and China have their global interests. So these matters have to be taken into consideration and negotiations have to be continued with them to resolve it,” he said.
“Several things have been achieved at the Security Council meeting. Bangladesh has been able to place its position in the presence of Myanmar, the Western countries have expressed their strong position, UN has taken a strong position,” he added.
Former ambassador AHM Moniruzzaman said, though the Rohingya crisis had got a lot of exposure through the Security Council meeting, there was no reason to be jubilant, as the matter had to be resolved bilaterally.
“A bilateral solution is very difficult to achieve. It should have been resolved through international supervision. A bilateral solution always involves a lot of negotiations and compromises,” he said.
He also said, “Myanmar wants to resolve it bilaterally because it wants to avoid international pressure. It is one of their tactics. When Myanmar rooted out the majority Rohingyas from its land, it is clear that it has an evil intention.”
He said it would have been better had the Security Council passed a joint resolution. “The solution should have been internationalised. We have to convince China to come forward to resolve the crisis,” he added.
Associate Professor Dr. Khalid Quddus, also the chairman of International Relations of the Jahangirnagar University, said, “It’s a big challenge for Bangladesh right now. The government should try to create diplomatic pressure at the international level to resolve the crisis and to create public awareness. The brutality of the Myanmar army should be exposed to the world to make the real scenario clear to the world.”
Professor Md Abdullah Hel Kafi of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University said, “The Bangladesh government has taken the right path to resolve the crisis.”
He stressed the making an effective plan to enable Bangladesh deal with the problem. Only the mounting of pressure on the Myanmar government could help resolve the humanitarian crisis, he added.
The experts said Bangladesh had to use all possible tools to get international support because there was no guarantee that the problem would not recur, as it was unlikely to be resolved overnight.
They also said that a recent visit of two UK ministers highlighted that the Myanmarese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, had expressed her desire to take back the Rohingyas.
Meanwhile, the Security Council exposed its deep division over the Rohingya issue, as China and Russia supported Myanmar, while the United States, Britain, and France demanded an end to the “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya Muslim minorities.
So far, over five lakh Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh since August 25, fleeing atrocities in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
Besides, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Security Council meeting called upon the Myanmar’s authorities to immediately halt military operations, allow “unfettered access” to humanitarian aid, and ensure that all those who fled can return home.
The Associated Press reports that the US, Britain, and France were joined by many council members in demanding an immediate end to the violence and a strong council response.
China’s deputy UN ambassador Wu Haitao, whose country has close ties to Myanmar, urged the international community “to view the difficulties and challenges confronting the government of Myanmar through objective optics, exercise patience, and provide support and help.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia warned that “excessive pressure” on Myanmar’s government “could only aggravate the situation in the country and around it.”
But Bangladesh’s UN Ambassador Masud Bin Momen told the council that the violence in Rakhine had not stopped despite government claims. He described the situation as untenable and reiterated his appeal to the UN to create a “safe zones” inside Myanmar.
The Security Council, over the years, has discussed Myanmar behind closed doors, including three recent closed meetings.
The last open meeting, in 2009, was attended by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

UNSC failure to strike resolution on rohingyas

Dhaka needs to keep up pressure, say experts

The Rohingya issue received a lot of exposure at the United Nations Security Council meeting but the deliberations ended without a joint resolution to resolve the long-standing humanitarian crisis, as Russia and China, countries with veto power, took the side with Myanmar. International relations experts say the world community has been moved by the Rohingya crisis, which is an optimistic sign, but it has also suggested the matter be bilaterally solved, leaving some grey areas. With the Security Council failing to agree on a joint resolution to address the Rohingya crisis, it has now become difficult for Bangladesh to take any bold step, at least for the time being. However, experts say Bangladesh has achieved on several counts from the Security Council meeting. They say Bangladesh has to keep up its pressure on international bodies to garner their support to resolve the long-standing crisis. The diplomatic matter has to be resolved diplomatically and that would take a long time, as nothing can be obtained within a short time to address the Rohingya crisis, experts feel. We have achieved a lot of things. Its a diplomatic issue; it will take time. If you want to get diplomatic results, you have to wait not for weeks but for months, Prof. Dr Delwar Hossain, chairman of the International Relations department of Dhaka University, told The Independent yesterday. The UN Security Council has taken the Rohingya issue seriously and much discussion has taken place. Russia and China have their global interests. So these matters have to be taken into consideration and negotiations have to be continued with them to resolve it, he said. Several things have been achieved at the Security Council meeting. Bangladesh has been able to place its position in the presence of Myanmar, the Western countries have expressed their strong position, UN has taken a strong position, he added. Former ambassador AHM Moniruzzaman said, though the Rohingya crisis had got a lot of exposure through the Security Council meeting, there was no reason to be jubilant, as the matter had to be resolved bilaterally. A bilateral solution is very difficult to achieve. It should have been resolved through international supervision. A bilateral solution always involves a lot of negotiations and compromises, he said. He also said, Myanmar wants to resolve it bilaterally because it wants to avoid international pressure. It is one of their tactics. When Myanmar rooted out the majority Rohingyas from its land, it is clear that it has an evil intention. He said it would have been better had the Security Council passed a joint resolution. The solution should have been internationalised. We have to convince China to come forward to resolve the crisis, he added. Associate Professor Dr. Khalid Quddus, also the chairman of International Relations of the Jahangirnagar University, said, Its a big challenge for Bangladesh right now. The government should try to create diplomatic pressure at the international level to resolve the crisis and to create public awareness. The brutality of the Myanmar army should be exposed to the world to make the real scenario clear to the world. Professor Md Abdullah Hel Kafi of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University said, The Bangladesh government has taken the right path to resolve the crisis. He stressed the making an effective plan to enable Bangladesh deal with the problem. Only the mounting of pressure on the Myanmar government could help resolve the humanitarian crisis, he added. The experts said Bangladesh had to use all possible tools to get international support because there was no guarantee that the problem would not recur, as it was unlikely to be resolved overnight. They also said that a recent visit of two UK ministers highlighted that the Myanmarese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, had expressed her desire to take back the Rohingyas. Meanwhile, the Security Council exposed its deep division over the Rohingya issue, as China and Russia supported Myanmar, while the United States, Britain, and France demanded an end to the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslim minorities. So far, over five lakh Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh since August 25, fleeing atrocities in Myanmars Rakhine state. Besides, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Security Council meeting called upon the Myanmars authorities to immediately halt military operations, allow unfettered access to humanitarian aid, and ensure that all those who fled can return home. The Associated Press reports that the US, Britain, and France were joined by many council members in demanding an immediate end to the violence and a strong council response. Chinas deputy UN ambassador Wu Haitao, whose country has close ties to Myanmar, urged the international community to view the difficulties and challenges confronting the government of Myanmar through objective optics, exercise patience, and provide support and help. Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia warned that excessive pressure on Myanmars government could only aggravate the situation in the country and around it. But Bangladeshs UN Ambassador Masud Bin Momen told the council that the violence in Rakhine had not stopped despite government claims. He described the situation as untenable and reiterated his appeal to the UN to create a safe zones inside Myanmar. The Security Council, over the years, has discussed Myanmar behind closed doors, including three recent closed meetings. The last open meeting, in 2009, was attended by then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.