US Ambassador Dan Mozena on Thursday reiterated his country’s hope that Bangladesh’s political parties would meet for constructive dialogues in order to ensure that a free, fair and credible national election is held.
Following a meeting with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni at her office in the afternoon, Mozena was asked by journalists for his take on the Hefazat-e-Islam related events of May 5 and 6.
“We talked about that, and I underscored the need for a dialogue. I hope that will lead somewhere, some kind of constructive dialogue that will lead to free, fair and credible elections,” the ambassador replied.
Mozena also said that the Bangladeshi foreign minister will meet with the US secretary of state, John Kerry, on May 17 to assess the relations of the two countries, which he said is “broader, deeper and stronger than any time since 1972."
“All the discussions were about her upcoming visit to Washington. They will talk about taking the relationship to higher place,” he added.
Both ministers will talk about the partnership dialogue to be held at the end of this month, he said.
“The third person in the state department, Wendy Sherman, will lead a whole delegation, including a private sector delegation.”
The minister and envoy also talked about the importance of the Savar tragedy GSP review that is underway in the US.
When asked if the issue of verdict of Jamaat leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman was discussed, the envoy said: “Actually we did not talk about that.”
