The new Charge d鈥檃ffaires of the United States embassy in Bangladesh, Tracey Ann Jacobson, on Monday reiterated the US support for the interim government of Bangladesh on issues, including development and counter-terrorism.聽
鈥榃e are prepared as a nation to support your government on a variety of issues,鈥� said a press release quoting Jacobson as saying to chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus as she called on the interim government head at the State Guest House Jamuna on Monday.聽
The chief adviser spoke about the ongoing reform initiatives in Bangladesh, the government鈥檚 efforts to build a political consensus on the July proclamation and the plan for the next general election, said the release issued by the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office.聽
Regarding the July proclamation, the chief adviser said that he was expecting the political parties to reach a consensus by early February.聽
鈥楽o far I have not heard any dissenting voices,鈥� said the chief adviser, calling the political exercise to build the consensus on the issue a 鈥榯ough鈥� one and added that the theme of the proposed proclamation is 鈥榰nity鈥�.
Professor Yunus said that the government would only play the role of a facilitator.
鈥楳y job is building a consensus. I am not pushing any idea,鈥� he said.聽
He said that once the political parties agreed to the reform proposals, the government would request them to sign it to create a July Charter.
聽鈥業t鈥檚 a tough job given the varieties of opinion we have. But the process has started. Once signed, our politics will be based on the July Charter.鈥�
The US Charg茅 d鈥檃ffaires raised concerns over the arrest of some journalists and reports of some violence against religious minorities.
The chief adviser said that his government is committed to ensuring justice for everyone in the country.聽
During the hour-long meeting, the chief adviser and the US Charg茅 d鈥檃ffaires also discussed Dhaka鈥檚 ties with its neighbours, progress on resolving the Rohingya crisis, and the security situation in Myanmar.聽
The chief adviser said that Bangladesh values its relationship with all neighbours.聽
He thanked the US for providing humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and sought the country鈥檚 support for the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and creating a safe zone for the displaced people in Myanmar鈥榮 Rakhine State.