Nat’l unity is the first response

Says European Union envoy

The terrorist attack at a Gulshan restaurant killing 28 people, including 18 foreigners, will definitely affect the image of Bangladesh across the world, European Union Ambassador in Dhaka Pierre Mayaudon said yesterday.
He also feared that after the killing of the foreigners, foreign businesspersons might cancel their trips to Bangladesh and the country might have less development projects.  During an interview with The Independent at his office, the envoy described the attack as a “new dimensional one”, saying that the security paradigm would have to be revisited.
National unity is the first response to the terrorism in Bangladesh, he said, offering the EU’s cooperation to fight the menace. “Of course, the image of Bangladesh will be affected internationally because of this incident. At this time of global coverage of world affairs, it has already received massive attention from the international media,” said the EU ambassador while replying to a question. “This, I must say, is not completely new. Even in the weeks before this tragedy, many international media gave attention to targeting of bloggers, members of religious minorities and human rights. International media was focused on Bangladesh in last one and half year,” he said.
Mayaudon, however, said, that international terrorist incidents played a role behind international media’s attention to Bangladesh. Given the new dimension of the incident on Friday, he said that the international media might pay more attention to Bangladesh now.
The envoy said that all the stakeholders should collectively correct the situation to better the image of the country.
He also said, “Gulshan (the place of incident) is not Bangladesh. Bangladeshis are welcoming and open to dialogue.”
The EU ambassador described the Gulshan incident a home-grown terrorism which is in line with global phenomenon.
“This is a worldwide phenomenon… global challenge…This is international terrorism, home-grown, yes certainly. As we know in our globalised societies, borderline between domestic and international is very slim,” he said.
It’s too early now to make any final conclusion before the results of the investigation, he added.
Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s speech on Saturday, Mayaudon said, “In her speech, she referred to education, role of families in detecting those young individuals who are taking wrong path.”
“For us, answer to terrorism is not just security measures. Obviously there is a frontline response. But, in addition, we have to address the root causes. And, there comes education, higher education and job opportunities. Problem is multi-facetted and the response is also multi-facetted,” he said.
Mayaudon recalled that after the recent killings of two foreigners, a number of companies decided to cancel their trips to Bangladesh or meet their Bangladeshi business partners.
“Obviously, this will happen again…maybe in a bigger way. We have to recreate a sense of confidence,” he said, adding, “Fewer companies will come to Bangladesh from Europe, less development programmes could be considered, and so on and so forth.”
Mentioning the enhancement of security in the diplomatic area after the killing of an Italian citizen, the envoy said, “It brought sense of safety. But, the tragedy shows there is no such thing as full-proof security. The threat is more acute, more directed.
Obviously, he said, “The security paradigm will have to be re-visited against this threat of new dimension.”
The ambassador said that a meeting is planned with the head of the diplomatic police this week to see what additional security measures can be taken.
“We will have to consult with our headquarters. I am sure there will be security missions coming from various headquarters in coming days and weeks,” he said.
“We have to also take our path in our security. It is government’s matter, it is also our matter. I and my other European colleagues have taken this matter very seriously in responsible manner for our diplomatic staff and their families for the citizens living in Bangladesh or visiting Bangladesh,” Mayaudon said.
“We have to analyse the new dimension of threat and how to adjust with it to better protect our people and interests in Bangladesh,” he added.
When asked how important political unity is to eradicate this new type of terrorism, the ambassador said, “It is obviously of paramount importance. Not just political unity, but unity, I would say, as a whole. Political unity is one expression. The best response to terrorism is national unity of Bangladeshis of all walks of life.”      
Asked if Bangladesh can combat terrorism on it’s own, the envoy said that Bangladesh has made much progress in the last two-three decades, but lot more is yet to be done.
To another question, Mayaudon said that the EU is always willing to cooperate with the Bangladesh side to address the problem and after the Gulshan incident the offer of cooperation would be reinforced.
“Disengagement is the last thing we want,” he added.

Natl unity is the first response

Says European Union envoy

The terrorist attack at a Gulshan restaurant killing 28 people, including 18 foreigners, will definitely affect the image of Bangladesh across the world, European Union Ambassador in Dhaka Pierre Mayaudon said yesterday. He also feared that after the killing of the foreigners, foreign businesspersons might cancel their trips to Bangladesh and the country might have less development projects. During an interview with The Independent at his office, the envoy described the attack as a new dimensional one, saying that the security paradigm would have to be revisited. National unity is the first response to the terrorism in Bangladesh, he said, offering the EUs cooperation to fight the menace. Of course, the image of Bangladesh will be affected internationally because of this incident. At this time of global coverage of world affairs, it has already received massive attention from the international media, said the EU ambassador while replying to a question. This, I must say, is not completely new. Even in the weeks before this tragedy, many international media gave attention to targeting of bloggers, members of religious minorities and human rights. International media was focused on Bangladesh in last one and half year, he said. Mayaudon, however, said, that international terrorist incidents played a role behind international medias attention to Bangladesh. Given the new dimension of the incident on Friday, he said that the international media might pay more attention to Bangladesh now. The envoy said that all the stakeholders should collectively correct the situation to better the image of the country. He also said, Gulshan (the place of incident) is not Bangladesh. Bangladeshis are welcoming and open to dialogue. The EU ambassador described the Gulshan incident a home-grown terrorism which is in line with global phenomenon. This is a worldwide phenomenon global challengeThis is international terrorism, home-grown, yes certainly. As we know in our globalised societies, borderline between domestic and international is very slim, he said. Its too early now to make any final conclusion before the results of the investigation, he added. Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas speech on Saturday, Mayaudon said, In her speech, she referred to education, role of families in detecting those young individuals who are taking wrong path. For us, answer to terrorism is not just security measures. Obviously there is a frontline response. But, in addition, we have to address the root causes. And, there comes education, higher education and job opportunities. Problem is multi-facetted and the response is also multi-facetted, he said. Mayaudon recalled that after the recent killings of two foreigners, a number of companies decided to cancel their trips to Bangladesh or meet their Bangladeshi business partners. Obviously, this will happen againmaybe in a bigger way. We have to recreate a sense of confidence, he said, adding, Fewer companies will come to Bangladesh from Europe, less development programmes could be considered, and so on and so forth. Mentioning the enhancement of security in the diplomatic area after the killing of an Italian citizen, the envoy said, It brought sense of safety. But, the tragedy shows there is no such thing as full-proof security. The threat is more acute, more directed. Obviously, he said, The security paradigm will have to be re-visited against this threat of new dimension. The ambassador said that a meeting is planned with the head of the diplomatic police this week to see what additional security measures can be taken. We will have to consult with our headquarters. I am sure there will be security missions coming from various headquarters in coming days and weeks, he said. We have to also take our path in our security. It is governments matter, it is also our matter. I and my other European colleagues have taken this matter very seriously in responsible manner for our diplomatic staff and their families for the citizens living in Bangladesh or visiting Bangladesh, Mayaudon said. We have to analyse the new dimension of threat and how to adjust with it to better protect our people and interests in Bangladesh, he added. When asked how important political unity is to eradicate this new type of terrorism, the ambassador said, It is obviously of paramount importance. Not just political unity, but unity, I would say, as a whole. Political unity is one expression. The best response to terrorism is national unity of Bangladeshis of all walks of life. Asked if Bangladesh can combat terrorism on its own, the envoy said that Bangladesh has made much progress in the last two-three decades, but lot more is yet to be done. To another question, Mayaudon said that the EU is always willing to cooperate with the Bangladesh side to address the problem and after the Gulshan incident the offer of cooperation would be reinforced. Disengagement is the last thing we want, he added.