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Berlin ready to help try war criminals

Staff Correspondent
Germany will provide support to Bangladesh in trying the war criminals if the government wants, outgoing German Ambassador in Dhaka Frank Meyke said yesterday.
"Wherever they are, we wish all (war criminals) to be prosecuted. We will support if Bangladesh requires," he told newsmen at a meet the press' programme, organised by Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU), in the city. The departing ambassador, who has been staying in Dhaka for around three and a half years, said German government like the European Union had welcomed the state of emergency promulgated on January 11, 2007 to avert bloody violence on the streets and dangerous' political confrontation.
He said generally they do not support any state of emergency. but at that time in Bangladesh his government did not see anything better than that.
"But we wanted the caretaker government to have a roadmap for the elections. And, finally they delivered it." the diplomat said, adding that now is the time for the government and the political parties to strengthen the democratic practices.
"The democratic structural reforms of the last caretaker government and the December 29 polls have opened up the perspectives of a stable democracy and a middle income country for Bangladesh,” he said in his written speech on 'Bangladesh-German Relations: The New Paradigms.'
Asked about the arrest of two top leaders-Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia--and the caretaker government's move to minus them from politics, the German ambassador noted that it is an internal matter of the country but political stability of Bangladesh is a matter of international concern.
Welcoming the national councils by the political parries, Meyke said a 27-member
European Union is closely monitoring the current developments of the country after restoration of its democracy.
“Politics of hartal and political confrontation should be a matter of the past. We want to see a strong government and cooperation among parties in parliament,” hesaid.
The ambassador said positive political signals are needed to attract foreign investment.
“Combating corruption, a truly Anti-Corruption Commission and a strong independent Election Commission as well as strong local government and women empowerment would also be positive signals for German investors,” Frank Meyke said.
He said despite economic recession Bangladesh's export to Germany has increased by 27.5 percent in the first four months of the current fiscal year. Bilateral trade reached almost 2 billion Euro in 2008.
The diplomat said a promising new field of Bangladesh exports to Germany is ship as already over 30 ships worth about 250 million Euro (Tk 2,400 crore) have been given order by German ship owners.
Meyke said Bangladesh has attractive legal framework for foreign investors but its practical implementation is still often cumbersome.
"Administrative processes are complicated and time consuming. In a very competitive international environment this might be a drawback for Bangladesh," the diplomat observes.
DRU President Shamim Ahmad and General Secretary Pathik Saha also spoke.