US renews pledge to support Bangladesh's interim govt

The new Charge d'affaires of the US embassy in Dhaka Tracey Ann Jacobson reiterated the support of her country for the Interim Government of Bangladesh on various issues, including development and counter-terrorism.

"We are prepared as a nation to support your government on a variety of issues," Jacobson told Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus as she called on him at the State Guest House Jamuna today (20 January). 

The Chief Adviser spoke about the ongoing reform initiatives in Bangladesh, the government's efforts to build a political consensus on the July proclamation, and the plan for the next general election.

 Regarding the July proclamation, Prof Yunus said he was expecting the political parties to reach a consensus by early February. 

"So far I have not heard any dissenting voices," he said, calling the political exercise to build the consensus on the issue a "tough" one and added that the theme of the proposed proclamation is "unity."

The Chief Adviser said the government will only play the role of a facilitator. "My job is building a consensus. I am not pushing any idea," he said. 

He said once the political parties agreed to the reform proposals, the government would request them to sign it to create a July Charter.

"We don't know whether the contents will contain many items or a few items," he told the US envoy.

"It's a tough job given the varieties of opinion we have. But the process has started. Once signed, our politics will be based on the July Charter," he added.

The US Charge d'affaires raised concerns over the arrest of some journalists and reports of some violence against religious minorities.

The Chief Adviser said his government is committed to ensuring justice for everyone in the country.

 During the hour-long meeting, they also discussed Dhaka's ties with its neighbours, progress on resolving the Rohingya crisis, and the security situation in Myanmar. 

The Chief Adviser said Bangladesh values its relationship with all neighbours. 

"That's how the idea of SAARC came about, and we are the initiator of it," he said, highlighting his recent moves to revive SAARC and transform it into a platform like the European Union. 

He thanked the US for providing humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and sought the country's support for the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and creating a safe zone for the displaced people in Myanmar's Rakhine State. 

The Chief Adviser mentioned that Bangladesh is a top importer of US cotton and urged the country to import more apparel and textiles, which would mean a greater import of US cotton.

Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary to SDG affairs, was also present on the occasion.