& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Peeved Tuesday Group postpones meet on polls

Rezaul Karim
Thcliicsday Group, a club of foreign diplomats in Bangladesh, has decided to postpone its much-talked about conference on "electoral practices" in Dhaka, expressing disappointment over govern-ment'sdcnialtopermitit.
The grouping planned to hold a conference on "international best electoral practices" on January 22-23 next year, aiming to "promote
international standards electoral practices in support of free and fair parliamentary elections in Bangladesh."
The government, which does not recognise the Tuesday Group, declined topermit tlieholdingofthe conference, saying that such move will amount to interference in the internal affairs of the country.
In a press release issued yesterday, Tuesday Group Chairman and
SEE PAGE 15 COL 7 FROM PAGE 1
Canadian High Commissioner to Dhaka David Sproule said. "The TUesday Group wishes to express its disappointment with the government's decision not to welcome its international conference on the best electoral practices which was scheduled to take place in Dhaka on 22-23 January2006."
It said tlie proposed conference-sponsored by virtually all Bangladesh’s development partners and largely technical in nature--would have been an excellent opportunity to highlight and learn from positive electoral experiences in H.ui^l.ulr .11.uulelsewhere.
Under the circumstances, the TUesday Group has decided to postpone its conference initiative until “a more opportune time and meanwhile to pursue additional initiatives," thereieasesaid.
TheTUesday Group comprises the ambassadors and high commissioners to Bangladesh from Australia. Canada. Denmark; France, Germany, .Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA as well as the ambassador of tho European Commission and the resident coor-dinatorofthe United Nations.
None was available from the government side to make official comment on the postponement of TUesdayGroup'sconference.
However, a high official of file government on condition of anonymity told Tlie Daily Star that "It is definitely our victory as the so-called TUesday Group backtracked from its desperate move.”
The government took a hard line against holding of the Tuesday Group's proposed conference since die diplomats informed the government about it nearly a couple of years
ago.
The final message of denial was conveyed to the group when David Sproule and Norwegian Ambassador Aud Lise Nordheim called on Foreign Affairs Advisor Reaz Rahman on September 25.
Although the TUesday Group claimed that it will hold the conference to provide Bangladesh with necessary technical assistance to make sure that the next general election is held in a free and fair manner, the government continued its stand against the move.
After meeting with the two envoys on September 25, Reaz Rahman told journalists that theconference would be counterproductive and tantamount to interfering in the domestic politics. It may also give a false impression that Bangladesh does not want free pollstobeheld.hesaid.
He told the two TUesday Group members that the very essence of democracy is peaceful hand-over of power through elections and it happened very successfully for the last three consecutive terms. Besides, he said, Bangladesh has a unique system like the caretaker government forconducting free and fair elections.
Earlier, a press conference of the group scheduled for September 14 had been cancelled following objection from the government as it was called without consulting the foreign ministry, apparently violating the diplomatic norms.
Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, who is now in New York, earlier reacted sharply about the TUesday Group's move, saying the foreign diplomats cannot play role like the "trade union". He blamed the said diplomats for trying to. amend the constitution of Bangladesh by play-ingroleof’bargainingagents”.