The US believes the dialogue the Awami League and BNP is still open to find a way to hold credible elections even as it is assessing the current political situation.
“We’re still assessing the situation. I’m certainly aware of that,” US ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena said on Tuesday.
He made the remark when journalists drew his attention to 154 candidates being elected unopposed ahead of the Jan 5 general elections.
“I think the dialogue, as I understand, is still open…
“It certainly underscores the need for that to proceed more urgently to find some way so that there can be kind of elections that the people of Bangladesh want and the people of Bangladesh deserve,” he said after meeting Foreign Secretary Md Sahidul Haque.
As the two parties held three rounds of talks that began at the UN’s mediation, Mozena encouraged them “to be creative and to be aggressive in trying to find some way forward”.
A record number of contestants are on the cusp of getting elected unopposed as the BNP boycotted the election demanding a “non-party” caretaker government to oversee it.
The Awami League, however, installed a ‘multi-party’ cabinet.
Since the impasse, Bangladesh is witnessing rampant violence as the Opposition has been enforcing a series of blockades.
Mozena who earlier spoke against violence in any form once again said “it must be stopped”.
“I don’t know why those people are doing these horrific acts,” he said.
He also spoke against using excessive force by the police and other law-enforcing agencies.
The US envoy said it was the “obligation” of both the government and Opposition to give and use political space “peacefully”.
“So, there’s no room for the kind of violence that we’ve been witnessing. And this must stop”.
He discussed bilateral issues with the Foreign Secretary. – bdnews24.com
