US ready to help hold free, fair polls: Haas

A six-member pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) of the US will visit Bangladesh on October 7-13.
At the conclusion of its visit, the delegation will issue a public statement, highlighting positive trends as well as areas of concern and offering practical recommendations, said Bryan Schiller, a spokesperson of the US Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday.
"The United States-funded International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) will independently and impartially conduct a joint pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) in accordance with the NDI's Declaration of Principles for International Observers," said Mr Schiller.
The mission will meet the Bangladesh Election Commission, government agencies, political parties, citizen observers, civil society organisations including women and youth groups, Bangladesh and international media organisations, and foreign diplomatic missions, he said.
The team will also likely hold a series of briefings and consultations with relevant international stakeholders, policymakers in Washington, D.C., and constituencies supporting electoral integrity in Bangladesh.
"While the primary role of the PEAM is to provide independent and impartial information on election preparation and the electoral context, it will also determine whether to send a limited international election observation mission for election day," he added.
Addressing a programme in the city, US envoy in Dhaka Peter Haas said as Bangladesh was approaching its national election in few months, the US was ready to extend "our support to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election" to make sure the people can freely elect their leaders.
"We speak out regularly on the systematic and pervasive oppression of journalists, media personalities and even Nobel laureates who hold their government accountable," he said addressing a discussion organised by the North South University to observe the International Day of Peace.
He mentioned that as the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, he was committed to building US-Bangladesh bilateral partnership to tackle shared challenges together.
He noted that peace flourishes in an environment where nations can freely choose their own path and partners and the people of each country will be allowed to freely elect their leadership.
"It's about respecting sovereignty and ensuring that each country has the autonomy to make decisions that best serve its interests. The United States and Bangladesh share this commitment, advocating a world where all nations' choices are respected and supported".
On promoting prosperity in both the countries, he said the United States and Bangladesh shared a vision of economic prosperity for all.
"Through trade, investment, and development cooperation, we are committed to improving the livelihoods of our citizens".
"The United States is one of the largest source countries for foreign direct investment in Bangladesh. ?As Ambassador, I commit to working with Bangladesh to build an attractive investment environment and support U.S. investors to enter new sectors for the benefit of all our people," he added.
On bilateral cooperation for ensuring regional security and stability, the envoy said the United States and Bangladesh stood together in their commitment to regional security.
"The United States trains with and provides equipment at no or reduced cost to Bangladesh security services including the armed forces and Coast Guard. Examples of this include high-speed Metal Shark Boats and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that allow the Coast Guard and Navy to quickly cover vast swathes of maritime territory," he said.
"This helps Bangladesh's security services mitigate challenges to the nation's sovereignty including violent extremism, cross-border drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Bay of Bengal that negatively affects Bangladeshi fishermen and the national food supply".
"US-Bangladesh ties do not just connect our governments but bridge our people. We're deepening ties between our people through educational and exchange opportunities".
"The enduring friendship between our two nations has been forged by decades of people-to-people ties between Americans and Bangladeshis".

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com