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Polls boycott BNP's mistake

Says Canada; EU calls for dialogue

Star Report
Describing the post-polls environment in Bangladesh as positive, Canada yesterday said the BNP's boycotting January 5 election was a strategic error.
Canadian High Commissioner in Dhaka Heather Cruden made the observation when she called on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam at his office, said a foreign ministry official.
Cruden expressed her satisfaction as the overall situation in the country had improved greatly after the election and that things were moving towards positive directions, said sources who were present at the meeting.
However, she referred to Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, who had issued a statement expressing disappointment because the January 5 election was not fully participatory and that more than half of the country's parliamentary seats were not contested. Instead, those were filled through acclamation.
Cruden said the BNP's boycott of the election had not been the concern of Canada. Rather the fact that the election was less competitive was worrying for Canada.
She told the minister that Canada was encouraged by the programmes and initiatives taken by both the government and the BNP, which created an atmosphere conducive to dialogue needed to resolve the political crisis.
In this context, the sources said, Cruden wanted to know from the state minister for foreign affairs a specific time when a dialogue could be held between the ruling party and the opposition.
In reply, Shahriar Alam said he did not have any such specific date at this stage but emphasised the importance of building a level of confidence in each other and creating a conducive environment for a dialogue.
He also told the Canadian envoy that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself had said she would consider holding an early election if both sides reached a consensus.
Cruden said Canada would be happy to see if the government made any specific plan for its first 100 days in office.
About attacks on minority communities, the envoy observed that the scope for such attacks was created whenever there was political instability.
At this point, the state minister told her that the government had taken up adequate programmes for helping the affected minorities and that the prime minister was coordinating the rehabilitation programmes.
Shahriar told the Canadian high commissioner that public confidence had increased greatly in business, investment and share market following the January 5 election.
One of the prime targets of the previous Awami League-led government had been to curb terrorism, in which it succeeded greatly. This time the government will continue fighting terrorism, he said, adding this year's election manifesto was based on successes in the previous tenure.
Meanwhile, the European Union said it was not giving any timeframe for the next general election.
" No... .We are hopeful that there will be dialogues on anything to move forward," said EU Ambassador to Bangladesh William Hanna when asked whether the EU would give a deadline for holding a parliamentary election afresh since the January 5 polls had been controversial amid a boycott by the BNP-led alliance.
The EU ambassador made this remark while talking to journalists after a meeting with Commerce MinisterTofail Ahmed at the secretariat in the capital.
Later, at a press conference, Tofail said there was no possibility of another election before completion of the five-year tenure of the incumbent parliament.
"We are not under any pressure from any quarters as many countries have already accepted the polls....We will implement our electoral pledges in the next five years."