Govt to implement some recommendations if July Charter is created: Chief adviser

Ambassador William B Milam and former American diplomat Jon Danilowicz, the president and executive director of a US-based nonprofit human rights group, Right to Freedom, paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka on Thursday.

The two former diplomats updated the chief adviser about the work of the Right to Freedom and their plan to expand its work in Bangladesh as part of its efforts to assist the country in its democratic transition, says a press release of the chief adviser's press wing.

Professor Yunus appreciated the work of the nonprofit group and also the efforts by the two diplomats to champion human rights and democratic values in Bangladesh.

Ambassador Milam, who was a US envoy to Bangladesh in the early 1990s, lauded the Interim Government's reform initiatives, saying the July uprising has offered big opportunities to carry out sweeping reforms and establish a true democracy in Bangladesh.

Jon Danilowicz, who was a deputy ambassador of the US to Dhaka, said Bangladesh needs positive narratives and serious efforts to tackle the menace of fake news and disinformation.

During the hour-long meeting, professor Yunus told the diplomats that political parties would sign a July Charter after the conclusion of the dialogue on the reforms recommended by the six commissions.

"The July Charter will guide us," he said, adding that the interim government would implement parts of the recommendations made in the July Charter and the rest will be implemented by political governments.

They also discussed the current Bangladesh-US relations, the Rohingya crisis, and the impact of dwindling aid for the much-persecuted Myanmar refugees, recovering billions of dollars stolen during the previous regime, the Chief Adviser's attempt to revive the SAARC and possible dates for the upcoming elections.

The chief adviser said the elections would be held either in December, provided the political parties agreed to fewer reforms ahead of the vote, or by June next year.