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Boucher meets Hasina
US offers help to ensure free, fair, neutral, acceptable polls
8/4/2006
The United States of America (USA) has expressed its willingness to help Bangladesh in holding free, fair, neutral and acceptable general elections scheduled to be held early next year.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A Boucher told this to journalists after holding a meeting with Leader of the Opposition and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina in the city Thursday, reports BDNEWS.
Washington likes to assist Dhaka to make this happen, Boucher added.
The upcoming general elections, rise of militancy, law and order, social and political situation and issues of bilateral interests came up prominently during the meeting.
Clarifying her party's position on the upcoming election, Hasina said the AL would take part in the polls if a conducive environment for exercising voting rights of the people were ensured.
The AL chief also sought US assistance for holding the election in a free, fair and impartial manner.
Boucher told the newsmen that the US wants to see the general elections takes place in a free, fair and acceptable manner.
"We are not biased towards any political party. We expect that hope and aspirations of the people of the country are reflected in the results of the election," Boucher said.
Meanwhile, at a press briefing AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said Sheikh Hasina told the US official that her party did not want favour rather she wanted a free and fair election through ensuring voting rights of the masses.
The AL has proposed reforms in caretaker government and election system to ensure the voting rights of the people.
Jalil said the US official was told that corruption, terrorism, militancy and wholesale politicisation done by the BNP-Jamaat alliance government are the primary roadblocks in establishing voting rights of the people.
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