US Secretary of State John Kerry offered his renewed support to Bangladesh in protecting people’s fundamental freedoms.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Bangladesh government had the responsibility to protect people in general from violence.
John Kerry urged Bangladesh government to take action to end the ongoing violence peacefully and condemned the targeting of civilians by political parties.
Kerry made the call in a meeting with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the State Department Thursday night, said a senior State Department official.
He also urged the opposition parties to stop such attacks immediately, the diplomat said.
Kerry said there can be no tolerance for tactics that target innocent citizens or inhibit political expression in a democratic Bangladesh.
When contacted, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said the US secretary of state asked him to take immediate step to stop violence.
“He also expressed his desire to come to Dhaka as soon as possible,” Mahmood said.
The foreign minister was accompanied by Bangladesh Ambassador to USA M Ziauddin and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque.
Earlier, the newly appointed US Ambassador to Dhaka, Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, said everyone had a role to play in stopping the violence and resolve their differences through non-violent and responsible political expression.
Ban Ki-moon for dialogue
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Bangladesh government had the responsibility to protect people in general from violence.
The secretary-general shared his concerns over the ongoing violence in Bangladesh while talking to the foreign minister at the US State Department on the sidelines of the White House Summit to Counter Violent Extremism in Washington Thursday.
Ban said all political parties should exercise their political rights upholding the established democratic norms and principles, said a press release of the foreign ministry.
The minister told the secretary-general that the government remains “committed to ensuring human rights and security of innocent civilians who are being targeted by the terrorist acts being committed by the BNP-Jamaat alliance.”
Mahmood Ali briefed the secretary-general about the various initiatives taken by the government to create a congenial environment for an inclusive and participatory democratic process in the country.
Ban Ki-moon assured the foreign minister of the UN’s continued engagement in strengthening the democratic and development process in Bangladesh.
He stressed that the UN would continue to have dialogues with the government to understand the evolving political situation.
The UN secretary-general had recently sent two separate letters to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to engage them in a dialogue to resolve their differences and deescalate the ongoing violence.
Bangladesh has been experiencing indefinite blockade and intermittent general strike enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance for the past one and a half months.
Over 100 people have been killed and scores others injured so far in arson attacks, gunfight and train derailment during the alliance’s political programmes.
