The United States has again urged the Bangladesh government to ensure transparency in the selection of a new managing director of the Grameen Bank.
The US State Department’s spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, also called on the government not to take any step that would reduce the ‘integrity or efficacy’ of the Grameen Bank.
Victoria was responding to a question on the latest action being taken by the Bangladesh government against the bank.
‘We remain deeply concerned about recent actions
by the government of Bangladesh to give the government-appointed chairman of the (Grameen) bank control over the selection of the new managing director,’ she said at her daily news conference in Washington on August 20.
Victoria said the US is continuing to urge the government of Bangladesh not to take any actions that would reduce the integrity or efficacy of the bank.
‘And we are calling on the government to ensure transparency in the selection of the new managing director.’
She said, ‘This has been a very vibrant part of Bangladeshi society and has in fact been a model for other parts of the world. So we’re watching closely.’
The spokesperson referred to secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s Dhaka visit in May this year, saying that this was an intense subject of discussion with the government.
‘…She (Clinton) also had a chance to meet with Mr. Yunus as well, and she was very straightforward in her public comments about our concerns here.’
-With New Age input
