Gastright for extra steps to restore democracy early

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The US government look forward to additional steps by Bangladesh to restore democracy as soon as possible, visiting American Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John Gastright said Tuesday during a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), report agencies.
"Full democracy is vital to the country…Full participation in the electoral process is vital to democracy," he told the meeting with CEC ATM Shamsul Huda at his office in the city.
Gastright, who looks after the Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan affairs at the US State Department, expressed the hope that the EC's five-point polls plan would guarantee democracy in the country and among the political parties as well.
"I have had an excellent meeting with the Election Commission and the election commissioners. I am really impressed by what they are doing.
"I think it's a real step towards the right direction," Gastright told reporters at the EC secretariat after the meeting.
"The Election Commission by the way has really an outstanding plan, a five-point plan to move towards democracy and elections," Gastright said.
Huda told reporters, "I have told [Gastright] that we will hold elections before December 2008 if possible." He said he would seek assistance for delimitation of the constituencies, if necessary.
"Gastright noted that the US government looked forward to additional steps by Bangladesh to restore democracy as soon as possible, and the two (Gastright and CEC) discussed the steps underway to prepare for elections by the end of 2008," said an official text on the meeting issued by the US Embassy.
The written official text was distributed among journalists as soon as Gastright finished his media briefing at the gate of the EC secretariat building.
He congratulated the Chief Election Commissioner for the great progress the Commission had made over the last nine months in the course of its preparatory works. He welcomed the recent relaxation of the ban on internal politics and emphasised the important role that political parties, NGOs, and civil society play in the electoral process.
The US government functionary, who arrived here earlier in the day, reiterated his government's willingness to provide support to the Election Commission in doing its onerous task.
Gastright, who arrived in the city Tuesday morning on a two-day visit, is expected to meet today (Wednesday) Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and Acting Foreign Secretary Md Touhid Hossain.
This is his first visit to Bangladesh since the arrests of former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. His previous visit was in December last year.