US hopes for free, fair polls: Mozena

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena speaks to Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia during a courtesy call at the party's Gulshan office in the city yesterday. Photo: BNP

The US hopes that the people of Bangladesh and the political parties will devise the mechanisms to hold a free, fair and credible election acceptable to all.
The newly-appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena made the remark when asked whether the US is pondering a solution to the present standoff between the opposition BNP and ruling Awami League over the caretaker government issue.
Mozena was talking to newsmen after a courtesy call on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office yesterday evening.
Replying to another question, he said the US administration supports democracy and the democratic process.
It is not the US to propose what type of democracy Bangladesh should have. But it is for Bangladeshis and Bangladesh's leaders to devise the mechanisms, enabling the country to hold a free, fair and credible election acceptable to all parties, he said.
Terming his meeting with Khaleda “wonderful, fruitful and constructive”, Mozena said he shared with her the US administration's strong will to deepen and strengthen relations between the two countries.
He said Bangladesh is important for stability in the region as the country reaches out to cement ties with Nepal, Myanmar, China, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is conducive to peace and stability in the region.