US seeks unconditional dialogue over polls: Haas

Staff Reporter  :
Even on the eleventh hour of the schedule announcement, the United States said that the election should be free, fair and devoid of violence and they did not side with any political party.

“We delivered the same message that we delivered to all political parties here that the United States remains neutral ahead of the upcoming polls,” US Ambassador Peter Haas told the journalists after a meeting with Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader in the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Haas met Quader to deliver a letter for sitting with the political parties to hold unconditional dialogue to pave the path for a free, fair and peaceful election.

But Obaidul Quarter, also Awami League’s General Secretary, told the journalists that the time for holding dialogue was over as the Election Commission decided to announce the schedule.

“There is no time to think about dialogue anymore. That ship has set sailed,” he said.

Meanwhile, the US envoy has cleared their position and said, “We are on no particular political party’s side.

We call on all sides to de-escalate, to avoid violence, and try to figure out a way to have a dialogue without preconditions to help make the election environment better. We want free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner.”

On the other hand, the US spokesperson Mathew Miller in a press conference on Tuesday in the State Department in Washington said, “We have consistently said that we believe elections in Bangladesh should be free and fair and open, and they should take place free of violence.”

Apart from free, fair election, unconditional dialogue, Peter Haas in the Secretariat also expressed deep concern over the violent political rhetoric that has been directed against the people in the US Embassy.