UNB, Dhaka
US Ambassador James Moriarty yesterday said the United States can help the new government in Bangladesh consolidate democracy, as there is a lot of support in America for this country.
“We will do everything we can,” he told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni at the Foreign Ministry when the red-hot issue of Israeli attacks on Gaza and independence of Kosovo came up for discussion, among other bilateral interests.
On Arafat Rahman Koko’s monetary scandal in Singapore, he said, “We’ ve taken specific action against a bank account in Singapore with roughly $ 3 million”.
He added: the Department of Justice thinks there is corrupt money in that account. The owners of that account now can appeal and say why they think money is not corrupt.
He said this is nothing to do with Bangladesh politics. It is to implement the US law relating to corrupt money. In this context, he mentioned that Siemens in December last admitted that they paid significant amounts of bribe to a number of people.
Moriarty said they share Bangladesh’s concern for the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and the USA is closely working on Egyptian initiative to settle the problem there.
The envoy requested the Foreign Minister to recognize the independence of Kosovo “as quickly as possible” to end the humanitarian tragedy there too.
Asked about the US priority with the new government in Bangladesh, Moriarty reiterated his 3-D theorem-democracy, development and denial of space to terrorism.
He said terrorism is an issue confronting both the governments in Dhaka and Washington. He hoped that the incoming government would recognize that this is an issue Bangladesh needs to address and need to work with neighbouring countries to address it.
Asked whether the amount of the US aid for Bangladesh would be affected in the wake of economic downturn, he didn’t give a straight reply as he said: “We will have to look at it. The new government in Washington will look into it. I hope Bangladesh will do well and Washington will do well. I think the number will stay pretty well.”
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
