Khaleda, Hasina to skip Istanbul meet

Both Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina will miss the first Congress of Democrats from Islamic World to be held in Istanbul, Turkey on April 13 and 14 due to their political preoccupations at home, sources close to them said.

However, several senior leaders representing major political parties, both in power and in opposition, are going to attend the congress, jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the Turkish Democracy Foundation.

The expected participants from Bangladesh include BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's advisor M Rezaul Karim, BNP lawmaker Ziaur Rahman Khan, Gano Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina's political secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Jatiya Party (Ershad) lawmaker GM Kader and Jamaat-e-Islami central leader Quamaru-zzaman, officials at Dhaka office of the NDI said.

Rezaul Karim told The Daily Star yesterday NDI Chairperson and former US secretary of state Madeline Albright invited Khaleda Zia to participate in the congress, the first of its kind involving political leaders from predominantly Muslim countries. But she would not be able to attend, Karim said. "Ziaur Rahman (lawmaker) and I are going to attend and other leaders from different parties will also join it."

Karim, also a former ambassador, said the Turkish prime minister will open the congress and many world leaders and dignitaries are expected to attend it.

AL sources said Hasina will not be able to attend the congress as the opposition agitation is gaining momentum and the party's April 30 deadline to oust the BNP-led alliance government is nearing.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury told The Daily Star that against the post-Twin Tower (September 11, 2001) reality, the congress will provide a forum for interaction among leaders of the Islamic world who stand for democracy.

A senior NDI official in Dhaka, Saiful Karim, said they hope to finalise the list of participants from Bangladesh within a day or two.

NDI sources said participants will come from nearly 15 Muslim nations that have made basic progress toward democracy by holding credible elections, establishing a multi-party system, building an active civil society and taking such other steps.

For many years, a scholarly debate has been continuing over the compatibility of democratic principles and Islam. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the debate has intensified, said an NDI website. It added, "A growing number of democratic Muslims around the world are ready to declare an end to the debate. From Morocco to Turkey to Indonesia, these political leaders point to the numerous examples of predominantly Muslim nations and political parties that are striving for and achieving democratic governance as evidence that Islamic culture and religious practice are compatible with democratic principles."

Sources said participants at the congress will strive to set up a platform for designing state and local government structures in accordance with Islamic tenets and democratic principles.