US wants to see inclusive elections

As the US put emphasis on a participatory general election, Dhaka yesterday assured Washington that the polls will be free, fair, and inclusive.

Deputy Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council Lisa Curtis raised the issue during her discussions with high government officials yesterday.

Following a query from Curtis, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh is committed to a free, fair and participatory election and that

observers from different countries, including the US, are welcome.

Terming Bangladesh an “important partner” of the Indo-Pacific strategy of the Trump administration, Curtis said Washington would stand by Bangladesh to resolve the Rohingya crisis and continue to press Myanmar to create conditions so that the Rohingyas could return home with safety and security.

According to a foreign ministry press release, the ongoing Rohingya issue featured prominently in the meetings. Curtis shared her experience of Cox's Bazar where she talked to the refugees.

She deeply appreciated Bangladesh's role in sheltering the persecuted Rohingyas and providing them with necessary support. She said Bangladesh could be a model in the world on how to deal with such humanitarian situations.

Curtis also offered further US assistance to deal with the challenges ahead, especially during the upcoming monsoon.

Foreign Minister Ali thanked the US for strong political and humanitarian support for Bangladesh in addressing the crisis. He urged the US to continue playing a strong role at the UN Security Council.

Ali also stressed the need for sustained pressure of the international community, including the US, on the Myanmar government to create a safe and secure condition in Rakhine State for the safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas.

Curtis assured that Rohingya issue was now a part of the US policy discussion and it would continue with the pressure on Myanmar.

On the repatriation of the killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Curtis said she would convey the message to the high dignitaries in Washington.

The top official of the US administration, who warped her three-day visit yesterday, also held a meeting with Prime Minister's Security Affairs Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and discussed the prospect of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence and security.

Curtis also called on PM's International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi prior to departing yesterday evening. 

MEETING WITH BNP

The BNP yesterday briefed Curtis on the political situation in Bangladesh, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's conviction, and the upcoming parliamentary elections, reports our staff correspondent.

A BNP delegation, led by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, met Curtis at US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat's residence in the afternoon.

“We had a closed-door meeting. We discussed the overall situation of the country,” Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a standing committee member of the party, told The Daily Star.

He, however, refused to say anything in details. The BNP also did not formally say anything about the meeting.

Meeting sources said the BNP leaders told Curtis that the government was dillydallying on matters regarding the bail of Khaleda and that the government wants to hold a one-sided election keeping the BNP out.

In response, Curtis told the BNP team that the US wants an inclusive election with the participation of all political parties, said a BNP leader wishing not to be named.