US slams attacks on innocents

US Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned the targeting of civilians by political parties and stressed the need for opposition parties to cease such attacks immediately.

"There can be no tolerance for tactics that target innocent citizens or inhibit political expression in a democratic Bangladesh," he said in a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali in Washington DC.

Kerry has called for Bangladesh government's action to peacefully end the recent violence in the country, which has claimed over 70 lives in the past seven weeks.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has encouraged the Bangladesh government "to seek concrete ways to de-escalate the situation and to engage constructively the opposition, for the long-term stability and development of the country".

He also expressed his concern regarding the loss of lives and political violence in the country since the beginning of the year, according to a UN readout following a meeting between Ban Ki-moon and Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali.

Both the meetings were held in Washington DC on the sidelines of the three-day White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism which concluded on Thursday. The summit was attended by leaders from more than 70 countries.

KERRY'S CALL

"The Secretary called for government action to peacefully end the recent violence, underscored the government's role in ensuring peaceful political expression for all parties, and emphasised the need for a free and fair media that plays a constructive role in ensuring human rights," a US State Department readout said yesterday.

During the meeting with Mahmood Ali, Secretary Kerry offered "renewed US support to help achieve a political solution that returns Bangladesh to its democratic foundations."

According to the State Department Press Office, Kerry and Mahmood discussed Bangladesh's economic growth and gains in development, as well as the shared efforts to address climate change fallouts and improve labour conditions.

"The Secretary noted Bangladesh's increasing strategic importance in the region and underscored the need to protect Bangladesh's fundamental freedoms," it said.

Meanwhile, a press release of the Bangladesh foreign ministry condemned the mindless violence and extremism in the name of ideology or political expression, and said the two leaders agreed that violence has no space in a democracy.

Mahmood requested John Kerry to expedite repatriation of Rashed Chowdhury, one of the convicted killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Rashed is reportedly hiding in the US.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Mohammad Ziauddin, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Director General (Americas) Mahfuzur Rahman, and US Assistant Secretary of State for South & Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal were present at the meeting.

BAN-MAHMOOD MEET

The UN chief and the foreign minister discussed cooperation between the United Nations and the Bangladesh government.

Ban thanked Bangladesh for its contributions to the UN peacekeeping operations.

According to a foreign ministry press release, the UN secretary general shared his concerns over the ongoing violence in Bangladesh and stressed that the UN would continue to have dialogues with the government to understand the evolving political situation.

Ban said the government had the responsibility to protect people in general from violence, and that all political parties should exercise their political rights upholding the established democratic norms and principles.

In this context, the foreign minister briefed the UN chief about the various initiatives taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to create the environment for an inclusive and participatory democratic process in the country.

He regretted that the BNP leadership persistently rebuffed the government's overtures, and instead chose the path of violence and terrorist methods at the expense of innocent lives.

The UN secretary general assured the foreign minister of the UN's continued engagement with strengthening the democratic and development process in Bangladesh.