US envoy to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena yesterday suggested that the country's major political parties hold dialogues to pave the way for holding a fair and participatory election next year.
“I am very hopeful the major parties will undertake successful dialogues make the way to have a mechanism to hold a free, fair, credible and participatory election,” Mozena said.
“Because this country is democratic. This is the culture of Bangladesh,” he told journalists at a luncheon meeting of American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital.
The parliamentary election is scheduled to be held at the end of next year, but the major political parties are yet to reach a consensus on some issues, including that of the caretaker government.
Mozena also spoke about Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, a Bangladeshi citizen who was detained in the US for his alleged involvement in planning of a terrorist attack on the Federal Reserve Bank of America last month.
“As far as I know, he remains in the detention in New York. Charges will be filed against him at some points there. He has a defence attorney and due process will play out,” Mozena added.
On US-Bangladesh relations, he said: “When I look back over the past year, I am very pleased with the successes of our partnership. Secretary Clinton was able to come and celebrate our partnership, and institutionalised our partnership.”
The envoy said he was pleased now for having a new platform for holding annual partnership dialogue between the two countries. The first ever dialogue took place in Washington in September.
In his statement, Mozena also said Bangladesh would become self-sufficient in food within a decade although the nation was once described as a bottomless basket.
“Truly, a great agricultural revolution is underway,” Mozena said while he was delivering his speech on 'The transforming Bangladesh'.
He also mentioned some surmountable challenges of Bangladesh including inadequate ports, road and railway networks, power, energy, lack of quality education and skills training, and the challenges of corruption, rule of law, respect for labour rights, and the threat of political instability.
AmCham President Aftab ul Islam moderated the meeting.