US ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena on Tuesday said the US is still assessing the evolving political situation mentioning that the current situation underscores the need for proceeding more urgently to find some way for an election that the people of Bangladesh want and deserve. ‘We’re still assessing the situation. I’m certainly aware of that,’ the US envoy told reporters at the foreign ministry when his attention was drawn to 154 MPs being elected unopposed.
The US diplomat also said the dialogue is still open and laid emphasis on an election that the people of Bangladesh want and deserve.
‘I think, the dialogue, as I understand, is still open…it certainly underscores the need for that to proceed more urgently to find some way that there can be kind of elections that the people of Bangladesh want and the people of Bangladesh deserve.’
About the ongoing violence across the country, Mozena said violence that has marked the political equation here is absolutely unacceptable from all sides.
‘From the opposition side, I don’t know who are doing these horrific acts. It must be stopped.’
He said there must not be excesses by the police and other law enforcement and those who are side by side with them.
Responding to a question, Mozena said there needs to be political space for all of the players and that is the obligation of the government to provide that space.
‘It’s the obligation of the opposition to use that political space peacefully. So, there’s no room for the violence that we’ve been witnessing. And this must stop.’
Responding to another question on the possibility of election deferral, the US diplomat said ‘Well, this is not an issue for me to address. This is an issue for the participants of the dialogue.’
He said there have been three-four sessions of the dialogue and he has met a number of the participants in those sessions.
‘I encouraged all of them to be creative, to be aggressive in trying to find some way forward.’
Earlier, he held a meeting with foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque at the latter’s office and discussed various bilateral issues.
-With New Age input
