In an unusual move, United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman cancelled her scheduled meeting with Leader of the Opposition and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia due to “unavoidable schedule changes” in view of hartal on Sunday – the day of her arrival in Dhaka.
Sherman was scheduled to meet Khaleda Zia on Monday evening. “The US Under Secretary regretted that a hartal marked the first day of the US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue, and subsequent schedule changes precluded her call on the BNP chairperson,” Kelly McCarthy, press and information officer of the US Embassy, told The Independent.
When asked about the cancellation, Sherman told a joint press conference at the state guest house, Meghna, “When I arrived Sunday there was a hartal which I regret and there have been changes to my schedule that were unavoidable.”
Therefore, she said, some changes are needed to be made as to ‘who I can see and where there is time’.
She parried a question if the last minute cancellation was a snub to the Leader of the Opposition. According to diplomatic observers, cancellation of the meeting sent a strong message to the opposition disapproval of the hartal that was underway on the day of Wendy Sherman’s arrival on Sunday.
However, she said, “My schedule needed some changes. I met the opposition leader last time when I was in Dhaka. I was rather surprised that throughout a hartal was underway on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, BNP claimed the tentative meeting between BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and visiting US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R Sherman did not take place due to schedule problem.
“A meeting was supposed to be held between the opposition leader and the US envoy. As the schedule can’t be finalised, the meeting won’t be held,” BNP chairperson’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel told the media.
As his attention was drawn to media reports that Sherman cancelled the meeting as she had to reschedule her programmes due to Sunday’s hartal, Maruf said there is no question of cancellation of the meeting as there was no final schedule for it.
She had a tentative schedule for meeting with the opposition leader on Monday afternoon, he added.
-With The Independent input
