US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, in discussions at different levels during his two-day visit to Dhaka, has clarified his country’s stance for a free, fair, and participatory parliamentary election in Bangladesh.
At the same time, he praised the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for making “tremendous progress” in performing its duties since the US imposed sanctions in December 2021.
When Bangladesh raised the issue of withdrawing the sanction, he did not provide any time frame.
On Sunday, he sat in a series of meetings with at least four ministers, the prime minister’s private industry and investment adviser, and representatives of civil society on various issues, including complaints on Bangladesh’s elections, the BNP’s 10 December rally, freedom of expression, labour rights, the return of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) plus benefits and Indo-Pacific strategy.
High-level delegates representing Bangladesh, including Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, reiterated their position on holding fair elections and ensuring freedom of expression.
“They (Donald Lu) said many people complain about the elections,” Momen said at a joint press conference with the US official on Sunday following a discussion.
“We said that complaints are also made in your country. 77% of Republicans say you had a rigged election last time. There are some such people in our country as well. Some people will say these things. Our hope is that we will have transparent, fair, and acceptable elections,” he added.
When asked whether the United States has given any advice on the election, Momen said, “As previously stated, no country is perfect. Even your country (United States) is not perfect. But we are trying.”
“We said that our party has always come to power through ballots, not bullets,” he added.
The foreign minister said, “We will certainly accept good suggestions. We have also shown proof of them. If we have any weaknesses, we will definitely take care of them.”
Donald Lu asked whether the BNP would participate in the next parliamentary election in a separate discussion with civil society on Sunday afternoon at the Foreign Service Academy.
Awami League International Secretary Shammi Ahmed, who was also present at the meeting, expressed optimism about the BNP’s participation in the next election, according to Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association.
“They (US side) said, we don’t speak on behalf of any political party. We talk about certain processes and the rights of the people,” she added.
Rizwana said only the participation of the BNP and other parties and the election process were discussed, and there were no further talks on any other aspects of the election scenario in Bangladesh.
She mentioned that no BNP leader was present at the meeting.
Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rohingya issues were also briefly discussed at that meeting over lunch with the US assistant secretary, where professors Imtiaz Ahmed and Delwar Hossain were present, among others.
“There was no conclusive discussion about human rights issues, but the Chittagong Hill Tracts issue was featured in the meeting,” said Rizwana.
After his meeting with Momen, Donald Lu said, “The United States has made a commitment to democracy and human rights. We speak when we see problems and when we can offer suggestions, we stand up for freedom of speech and freedom of expression.”
“We look forward to moving very closely with our partners here in Bangladesh,” he added.
At the beginning of the joint press briefing, Lu said in Bangla, “I am here to strengthen the friendship between our two countries at a time when the world is in a struggle for peace.”
Momen said, “We have discussed how we can make this relationship more meaningful, better. We are happy that we are almost in agreement. We are looking for a better future.”
‘RAB made tremendous progress’
Donald Lu said he had a good discussion with the foreign minister about RAB, and he referred to the recent statement issued by Human Rights Watch that recognised “tremendous progress” in the area of reducing extrajudicial killings.
“We recognise this. This is amazing work. It shows that RAB is able to carry out its counterterrorism efforts and important functions while respecting human rights,” he also said at the foreign ministry after his meeting with Momen.
In an interview with a private television channel yesterday, Donald Lu said that the US did not impose new sanctions on RAB because of visible progress.
He added that if there were no progress, more sanctions would be imposed on other members of the force.
In this regard, the foreign minister said, “The US is very happy with the activities of RAB. When asked about lifting of the ban, he said, they (US) have not said anything about it. It’s a process.”
After a separate meeting with Lu, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said, “The US side did not discuss anything on the reforms of the elite force; rather, they described RAB’s current activities as satisfactory.”
Mentioning the discussion on Indo-Pacific strategy, Lu said, “It’s just strategy, it’s not a club. The US has expressed a desire for more resources and attention to the Indo-Pacific region, including right here in Bangladesh.
“We had a very honest and open discussion,” he said.
The US official said that his country is working very closely with Bangladesh regarding the GSP facilities.
“We have to wait for our Congress to authorise GSP for any country. But we are working very closely with the government. So, when it gets authorised, the first country on the list would be Bangladesh,” he said.
“One of the things that we are very proud of is our dialogue on labour rights. This is such an important issue for Bangladeshi people, for our trade relationship,” he added.
“We can cooperate on the improvement of labour rights in this country,” Donald Lu said, adding that he is “very confident” about the progress.
Regarding this issue, Foreign Minister Momen said, “Lu mentioned that Bangladesh is not getting the opportunity to use its US Development Finance Corporation funds mostly due to some labour rights issues. However, we are working on it.”
He stated that Bangladesh can receive $4 billion under the fund once the issues are settled.
Regarding the discussion with Assistant Secretary Lu, foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said, “Ever since his arrival, we have had a number of useful meetings. I also had a very frank and open discussion with him on all issues of mutual interest, from trade, investment, labour rights, sanctions, human rights, democracy, to development, as well as our views on the Indo-Pacific.”
Home minister assures of the right to assembly
After his meeting with Lu, the home minister told journalists, “He wanted to know something about the BNP’s 10 December rally. He is happy because we allowed the BNP to hold a peaceful rally on 10 December.”
“They said everyone has the right to engage in politics. We said we accepted that. That is why they can stage demonstrations. We only act if they destroy public property, open fire, or block roads,” he added.
Lu also had a meeting with Law Minister Anisul Huq. Assistant Secretary Donald Lu was scheduled to leave Dhaka on Sunday night.
