Congressmen asked if there’s any scope for political compromise: Momen
Two members of the US Congress who are on a visit to Dhaka asked foreign minister AK Abdul Momen about the government’s plan on upcoming 12th parliament election. They also asked whether there is any way for compromise between two main political parties – governing Bangladesh Awami League and de facto oppsotion Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Rich McCormick of Georgia and Ed Case of Hawaii, who are on their maiden visit to Bangladesh, held a meeting with the foreign minister at State Guest House Padma on Sunday.
Abdul Momen was talking to newspersons after lunch with the Congressmen.
The two Congressmen also asked whether Bangladesh has fallen in the trap of China.
Speaking about discussion on political compromise, Abdul Momen said, “They (the Congress members) asked whether you have any scope of compromise with them (BNP). We said the demand they have is the resignation of the government; there’s no scope of compromise in that.”
The foreign minister also posed a question to the US Congressmen on whether their government resigns before the elections. “Does the government in your country resign during the time of election? I’m sure that’s not the case. Would you sit for discussions if there is any such demand? There can be no question regarding those. We shall conduct election as per our Constitution.”
The foreign minister remarked that fair and violence-free election is possible if all the political parties are sincere. He said if all parties contest in the election, if they sincerely decide and want a free, fair and violence-free election, then it is possible to organise an election without any kind of violence based on consensus of all.”
Abdul Momen also mentioned that no one can “guarantee” a violence-free election even if the government and the election commission want this.
He said, “Various people told them (the two Congressmen) that Bangladesh is a dangerous place. It has fallen in the trap of China and becomes a slave. There is only unrest and trouble there. The police are detaining people and killing them. They are afraid of such a situation. But none of this is true.”
Asked whether the Congressmen felt assured that the election would be free and fair, Abdul Momen said, “Ask them this.”
The foreign minister further said they discussed the Rohingya issue too. Mentioning that the Congress members asked the Bangladesh authorities to let the Rohingya people work, he said, “We said, ours is a country with high population density. Besides, two million youths join the workforce every year here. You have taken in only 62 Rohingyas. If possible, take some more Rohingyas to your country.”
Besides, they held fruitful discussions on Bangladesh-US partnership on various areas, including trade and economy, global health, and climate change, said a media release of the foreign ministry.
The US delegation commenced their three-day Bangladesh visit this morning by paying floral tribute at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s mural at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. Both Congressmen were accompanied by their spouses at that time. Referring to the visit as moving, Congressmen said that it was indeed a great tragedy for Bangladesh to lose such a personality and that too so early.
Foreign minister Momen described Bangladesh-US relations as warm, dynamic, multifaceted and forward-looking and stressed that the bilateral relations should only deepen and broaden as Bangladesh economy continues to grow rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He hoped that the US investment in Bangladesh will expand and diversify as Bangladesh offers potentials in many areas, including ICT, pharmaceuticals, and steel. He also sought US congressional support for duty-free access of Bangladesh’s textile and garments products made of US cotton. The US delegation expressed their keenness to look into the partnership in pharmaceuticals, among others.
The delegation praised Bangladesh for generous hosting of over 1 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas. The meeting discussed the way forward in the context of gradual decline in the aid for Rohingya. The foreign minister appreciated the US government for its humanitarian support for the Rohingyas and stressed on the importance of working together towards achieving the ultimate goal of repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas to their homeland.
Members of Parliament Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Kazi Nabil Ahmed, and Mohammad Ali Arafat were present in the meeting and contributed to the discussions.
Director general (North America) Khandker Masudul Alam and other foreign ministry officials were also present. Spouses of the Congressmen, Debra Miller and Audrey Case, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas and other US officials accompanied the congressional delegation, added the media release.