US official Lisa Curtis due on Friday, Rohingyas on the agenda

Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump, arrives in Dhaka on Friday for a three-day official visit to discuss issues of bilateral interest, including security and Rohingya crisis. Curtis, also senior director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council in the White House, is likely to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Security Adviser to the Prime Minister Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, diplomatic sources said. "She will be visiting the (Rohingya) camp in Cox's Bazar," US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat told reporters on Wednesday, confirming the visit. The US ambassador added that the current US administration has been "very vocal and critical" about Myanmar over the Rohingya issue and would stand behind Bangladesh. Regarding the Rohingya issue, Bernicat said: “This serious problem is not losing world attention as the international media are still giving focus and good coverage on the matter. I don't think international attention and support are going to fade regarding the Rohingya issue." She further said that the US government and the international community are looking for ways to help improve the situation and ensure the safe return of Rohingyas to their homes in Myanmar. "Their (Rohingyas) desire is consistent- that they want to go to their homes and their homes are in Myanmar. The world is working now to ensure their safe return in a dignified manner." The US envoy also said Bangladesh and its friends were working to mount pressure on Myanmar to resolve the problem and create a situation so that the Rohingya can return to their homes. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque visited Washington on February 16 and met Lisa Curtis. The two discussed bilateral, regional and global security issues. Curtis conveyed President Trump's deep appreciation for Bangladesh for hosting more than a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar. The deputy assistant to US President was a senior research fellow on South Asia at the Heritage Foundation before joining the White House. The foreign secretary invited Curtis to visit Bangladesh and she accepted the invitation at the time.