Ban Ki-moon to visit Dhaka Nov 01-02
Saturday, 27 September 2008
From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Sept 26: Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, will make a two-day trip to Dhaka beginning November first, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed Chowdhury, foreign advisor disclosed this at a new conference addressed by Chief advisor Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed last Thursday.
The secretary general will make an on the spot study about the government's effort at holding the elections to the Jatiya Sangsad on December 18.
The foreign advisor categorically denied a New York Times (NYT) report which quoted Indian sources saying that China has a military base in Chittagong. It was also stated in the same report that China has military bases in Pakistan and Myanmar. He said Bangladesh contingents will soon go to Nigeria and Georgia in peace keeping duty.
Dr. Iftikhar however said that Bangladesh's ties with China was the warmest at the moment and several bilateral economic projects are in the offing. He also revealed that a special economic zone for the expatriate Bangladeshis is being set up in Sylhet.
Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor to the Caretaker Government reiterated that the government has not strayed from its goal of handing over power to an elected government by end of this year. He was speaking to the representatives of the local Bangladeshi media and journalists representing Dhaka newspapers this evening at a local hotel.
He took pride in the fact that his government would be able to hold a clean, honest and transparent election. It would be a fitting new year's gift to the nation. He said that the coming elections will set an example worth emulating in future. He had no hesitation in saying that his was a government with a patina of constitutional legality.
Dr. Fakhruddin said only the ordinances promulgated during the tenure of this government will have to be indemnified by the coming parliament. He stated the government is well within its constitutional legality to upstage the rank of the top three armed services chief.
He did not think much about the sensitive direct train service between Kolkata and Dhaka. He made it clear that the government has not infringed the constitution by clinging on to power for about two years and elongating the state of emergency beyond 90 days at a stretch as stipulated in the constitution.
He said his administration was not worried over its popularity but conceded to the fact that it was accountable but to whom he did not specify.
He preferred a dialogue between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina saying if Obama and Mccain can sit across the table why can't our leaders do the same to wrangle with knotty national problems. He said the government was in no way involved in the political future of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.
He refused to assess the post-election political scenario but promptly said that a national consensus was imperative for the steady economic development of the nation. He said there was no substantial evidence to say that the economic was making a downhill slide. He restated that the political leaders are being set free under due process of law. He reminded all concerned that bail does not mean that charges have been dropped.
NEW YORK, Sept 26: Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, will make a two-day trip to Dhaka beginning November first, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed Chowdhury, foreign advisor disclosed this at a new conference addressed by Chief advisor Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed last Thursday.
The secretary general will make an on the spot study about the government's effort at holding the elections to the Jatiya Sangsad on December 18.
The foreign advisor categorically denied a New York Times (NYT) report which quoted Indian sources saying that China has a military base in Chittagong. It was also stated in the same report that China has military bases in Pakistan and Myanmar. He said Bangladesh contingents will soon go to Nigeria and Georgia in peace keeping duty.
Dr. Iftikhar however said that Bangladesh's ties with China was the warmest at the moment and several bilateral economic projects are in the offing. He also revealed that a special economic zone for the expatriate Bangladeshis is being set up in Sylhet.
Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Chief Advisor to the Caretaker Government reiterated that the government has not strayed from its goal of handing over power to an elected government by end of this year. He was speaking to the representatives of the local Bangladeshi media and journalists representing Dhaka newspapers this evening at a local hotel.
He took pride in the fact that his government would be able to hold a clean, honest and transparent election. It would be a fitting new year's gift to the nation. He said that the coming elections will set an example worth emulating in future. He had no hesitation in saying that his was a government with a patina of constitutional legality.
Dr. Fakhruddin said only the ordinances promulgated during the tenure of this government will have to be indemnified by the coming parliament. He stated the government is well within its constitutional legality to upstage the rank of the top three armed services chief.
He did not think much about the sensitive direct train service between Kolkata and Dhaka. He made it clear that the government has not infringed the constitution by clinging on to power for about two years and elongating the state of emergency beyond 90 days at a stretch as stipulated in the constitution.
He said his administration was not worried over its popularity but conceded to the fact that it was accountable but to whom he did not specify.
He preferred a dialogue between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina saying if Obama and Mccain can sit across the table why can't our leaders do the same to wrangle with knotty national problems. He said the government was in no way involved in the political future of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.
He refused to assess the post-election political scenario but promptly said that a national consensus was imperative for the steady economic development of the nation. He said there was no substantial evidence to say that the economic was making a downhill slide. He restated that the political leaders are being set free under due process of law. He reminded all concerned that bail does not mean that charges have been dropped.