UN envoy: Peaceful end to Bangladesh crisis possible

A UN envoy said Monday a peaceful solution to election impasse in Bangladesh was possible despite boycotts by major parties and escalating violence, which has left 73 people dead since late October. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, the United Nations' assistant secretary for political affairs, made the comments after three days of talks with the Bangladesh government, opposition parties and the election commission. "I do believe that there is a possibility of finding a peaceful solution to this current deadlock if we have political will, if we have leadership, if we have an attitude of compromise, and most importantly if we are able to engage in peaceful dialogue," he said. The comments were the first he made since arriving in the Bangladeshi capital. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its smaller Islamist allies are boycotting elections scheduled for January 5, saying they will not take part in any contest under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They want her to resign and make way for the polls under a neutral government -- demands that Hasina has rejected outright. Local media said the U.N. special envoy has asked the authorities to defer the election in an effort to ensure participation of the opposition parties. Fernandez-Taranco would meet the political leaders again later Monday and Tuesday in a bid to broker a deal to resolve the deepening crisis. Hasina's plan to go ahead with the polls without the BNP was dealt a major blow last week when her key ally, Jatiya Party, the third largest political outfit led by ex-military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad, announced that it was also boycotting. On Monday Ershad said that seven senior officials from his party who had joined Hasina's interim cabinet which would oversee the polls had quit, sending their resignation letters by post. With the elections only four weeks away, the 18-party opposition alliance has stepped up a series of protests including a crippling transport blockade and nationwide strikes to force Hasina to quit. The opposition on Monday extended a 72-hour nationwide blockade of roads, rails and waterways to another three days as part of their protests. Violence triggered by the protests have killed 73 people since late October -- the latest being a 14-year-old boy who was shot dead in a northwestern town during clashes between protesters and police and ruling party activists, local police chief Emran Hossain told Agence France Presse. This year Bangladesh has witnessed its worst political violence since independence with clashes between opposition protesters demanding a halt to war crime trials of their leaders and police leaving at least 150 people dead.