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Rice hopes for polls as per roadmap

Diplomatic Correspondent
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday expressed hope that the caretaker government in Bangladesh would play a sincere role to hold a free and fair election according to the announced electoral roadmap to return to democracy.
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"There is no alternative to an election to return to democracy as well as to make Bangladesh a modern and democratic state," she said while speaking at the oath taking ceremony of the newly appointed US ambassador to Bangladesh, James Francis Moriarty, at the US State Department on March 26.
Moriarty is expected to arrive in Dhaka on April 10 to take up his new assignment.
Condoleezza Rice said Bangladesh could be a shining model as a modern Muslim state for different countries in the world, but the main necessity for that was to return to democracy first, according to a report by US-based Bangla news agency News World.
She said democracy is needed to ensure human rights and accountability and expressed hope that the Bangladesh government would take appropriate steps to ensure those.
I he US Secretary of State said that the main enemy of democracy and development in any country is corruption and in this context she termed the current anti-corruption drive in Bangladesh as positive.
She also said that political reforms in Bangladesh is urgent and hoped that the people of the country would carry the reforms forward for the greater interest of democracy.
Bangladesh Ambassador in USA M Humayun Kabir and others high officials were present at the ceremony.
After taking his oath, the newly appointed US Ambassador James Francis Moriarty attended a reception at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC, organised to celebrate the 38th Independence
Day of the country.
Talking to reporters there, the new ambassador expressed hope that the caretaker government in Bangladesh would adhere to (he electoral roadmap and hold the polls by December this year
Moriarty said that on arrival in Bangladesh, he would talk to the media, leaders of all political parties and people at different levels in Bangladesh to learn about their opinions on different issues.
"I will then lay importance to protect American interests in Bangladesh...my number one agenda would be to further strengthen the existing USA-Bangladesh relations because Bangladesh is an important partner of United States in the Global War on Terror," he added.
Ambassador Moriarty said that he came to know about the hospitality of the people of Bangladesh from his predecessors Harry K. Thomas and Patricia A. Butenis and was eager to experience that in person.
The US Senate confirmed Moriarty's nomination as the next Ambassador to Dhaka on March 13 last.
Prior to his appointment in Bangladesh, Moriarty was the US Ambassador to Nepal. He worked at the National Security Council, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asian Affairs. Moriarty is originally from Ware, Massachusetts. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he joined the Foreign Service in 1975 as a political officer.
Moriarty is married to Lauren Moriarty, who is currently the US Ambassador to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.They have twochildren.