Attack on UN HQ

One of the casualties of the attack was Vieira de Mello, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special representative to Iraq. His death, in a mission entirely devoted to the welfare of Iraqi people, ended a career spanning over three decades and studded with unqualified successes in bringing succour to humanity in distress. He was a true friend of Bangladesh who stood by us during the excruciating days of 1971 as a member of a UNHCR delegation. Kofi Annan rightly sent Mello to Iraq because he was a man with vast experience in conflict resolution and post-war reconstruction. And one of the objectives of his mission was to restore the sovereignty of the people of Iraq who were looking forward to an extended and authoritative UN role in their country.

The initial reports indicate that it might have been the work of the remnants of the fanatic groups like al-Qaeda. But the most difficult thing to fathom is what prompted the attackers to blow apart a UN installation having nothing to do with military operations. Were they working under the highly warped notion that the UN representatives had to be liquidated because they were stationed in Baghdad and were working under US administrator Paul Bremer's command? Preposterous as their thinking was, it is pretty clear that the attack may slow down the pace of the UN-led reconstruction of Iraq. Which is a far from heartening proposition for the majority of Iraqis.

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Mello had impeccable records of providing humanitarian assistance to people in troubled spots and post-war situations. He finally lost his life to the very forces of intolerance that he sought all his life to chasten with his sobering influence as a UN representative. We feel no word is adequate enough to describe the enormity of the crime and the consequent feeling of outrage that pervades our minds. Our heart-felt condolences to the bereaved families of the victims of the tragic massacre.