Savar tragedy to impact GSP outcome: Mozena

The building collapse in Savar will have an impact on the outcome of generalised system of preferences hearing, US Ambassador Dan Mozena said yesterday.
“It certainly makes the environment of the workplace safety questionable. I'm sure it'll have that impact.”
The US envoy spoke at a function on youth environmental initiatives in the city, responding to a question whether the Savar incident will affect the continuation of GSP for Bangladesh.
Mozena said the loss of lives in large numbers will raise new questions on safety measures in workplaces.
“But my efforts will be to convey that to those who are making this decisions of good understanding of the progress Bangladesh has made in addressing the issues raised in the GSP petition.”
Mozena said there has been much progress and of course there is a room for more to be made.
“I'll clarify that. It's not for me to make the decisions. But it's for me to ensure that the information is properly conveyed to those who are making the decisions.”
The government of Bangladesh has responded to all 19 follow-up questions and the response was very thorough and timely, he said.
“I'll do my part to make sure there's a full understanding of the good work that has been done and the challenges that remain in addressing the concerns raised in that petition.”
Mozena hoped that Bangladesh will asses the response to this horrible disaster in Savar and see what lessons they can learn to respond in the future to this type of incident.
Mozena expressed his deepest condolences over the incident in Savar.
“I'm stunned and I'm shocked. My sympathy is towards those who were injured horribly and to their families. It's a horrible day and it's a sad day and I'm deeply sorry.”
Responding to a question regarding media reports on the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, Mozena said: “I saw those reports. Media is free. It can write what it wants.”
“But I say that it's very creative journalism because I'm totally unaware of that. I would love Secretary Kerry to come.”
He said Bangladesh is a special place and the seventh largest country. “The partnership between Bangladesh and the USA is strong.”
On human rights report, the US diplomat said the report stands on its own.
“It's a well-documented report. It addresses the area of progress. But the challenges remain as well such as forced disappearances, prison condition, rights of women and domestic violence.”
He termed those as horrible problems and those are some of the serious issues that the US is closely partnering Bangladesh to address.