US approach sending Rashed is “very positive”: Momen

Foreign Minister Dr Ak Abdul Momen Thursday said the United States (US) approach in sending back Bangabandhu’s convicted self-declared killer Rashed Chowdhury to Bangladesh is positive.

“The approach was very positive(towards deporting Rashed),” he told reporters at the foreign ministry while sharing the outcomes of his bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Washington on April 4 marking 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the US.

The foreign minister returned home yesterday evening after completing his four nation’s tour – the US, Japan, Palau and Singapore.

Terming the meeting with his US counterpart in Washington DC as fruitful and positive, Dr Momen said, they talked about all bilateral issues between Dhaka and Washington DC. “I was very pleased (about outcomes of the meeting)”, he added.  

He said Blinken assured him that he would give a look into the matter of deporting Rashed Chowdhury though the issue is related to the US attorney general’s office. Dr Momen said he came to know that the Clinton administration decided to send Rashed back in 2001 but the then Bangladesh BNP-led government held back the process.

“It’s a positive news that once the US government decided to send him back,” he said, adding that after knowing the information Blinken said, “it should have been done”. Dr Momen said Blinken highly lauded leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in making fast economic development of Bangladesh.

“How Bangladesh has developed it, is an example for everyone,” Momen said, quoting Blinken. Momen said he raised issue of US sanction imposing on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and some of its current and former officials.

In reply, the Secretary of State said it has a process to withdraw the section and every side has to maintain that process in this regard, Momen said. Regarding the election, foreign minister said he informed his US counterpart that all people in Bangladesh believes in democracy as the country was born when people's voice was denied in 1971.

He said the present government believes in free, fair and participatory polls but unfortunately a particular party doesn’t want to take part in the election as it had not formed in a democratic way. “We want all parties in the election, but a particular party (BNP) publicly said that they won’t participate in the polls. If one doesn’t want to come, what shall we do?” he said what he was replied to Blinken.

The foreign minister said he also made clear the Bangladesh’s principle stand on Ukraine crisis while his US counterpart appreciated Dhaka’s position regarding this. While seeking comments on recent US HR country report on Bangladesh, Dr Momen questioned about the source of the report as it collected data only from media and NGOs.   

The NGOs always see negative things everywhere and there is another group of people who give a negative picture of Bangladesh to seek asylum abroad, he said.  "Some opinions came (in the report) …they want to hit on our religion in the name of human rights and we rejected it," he said.

The government of Bangladesh has been rejecting the right of LGBT and same sex marriage as these are against culture and religious values of Bangladesh people.  The foreign minister said Bangladesh's human rights priorities are right to food, right to education, right to shelter, right accommodation and healthcare.