Senate confirms Bernicat\\\'s nomination as envoy to BD

The US Senate has confirmed the nomination of Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat as the new ambassador of the United States to Bangladesh. Bernicat will succeed incumbent Ambassador Dan W Mozena. Earlier, Bernicat, while giving her testimony before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on July 18, had said that the US remained concerned about recent trends in democracy and human rights in Bangladesh. Mentioning that Bangladesh’s national elections of January 5 were ‘flawed’ she observed that the country’s main political parties urgently need to engage in constructive dialogue that leads to a more representative government. ‘I will passionately advocate policies that enshrine peaceful democratic values, including respect for human rights and diversity, room for civil society to flourish, space for the free and peaceful discussion of political differences unmarred by violence, and adherence to the rule of law by an independent judiciary,’ she said in her testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations committee on the day. ‘If confirmed, I’ll work hard to support efforts to promote accountability and strengthen human rights and democracy in Bangladesh,’ Bernicat, currently Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State, added, according to a news agency.