Noting that Bangladesh is a state party to the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ...
, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, "In other situations, we have seen cases of political or election related violence where the perpetrators of such acts -- including politicianship -- have faced prosecution."
"Whatever their differences, politicians on both sides must halt their destructive brinkmanship, which is pushing Bangladesh dangerously close to a major crisis," she said in a statement issued from Geneva yesterday.
On a similar note, the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
has urged politicians of the two rival camps to refrain from any actions that could spark further violence.
"The EU calls on the leaders of all political parties to agree on a mutually acceptable formula so as to facilitate the holding of elections which fully reflect the wishes of the people," Catherine Ashton, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs, said in a statement.
The strongly-worded statements came in the wake of an apparent failure of a series of diplomatic efforts by the international community that has long been trying to persuade the ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP to reach an agreement over the next parliamentary polls.