John Kerry flies into Bangladesh Monday with US counterterrorism offers on table

US Secretary of State John Kerry will come to Dhaka on Monday on his maiden visit to, what the State Department says, focus on strengthening partnership with Bangladesh.

Nurul Islam Hasibbdnews24.com
Published : 28 August 2016, 05:24 PM
Updated : 28 August 2016, 06:21 PM

Bangladesh has not issued any official statement so far but Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Aug 24 in confirming the visit said they were “delighted” that he was coming.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calls it a “courtesy visit”.

Ali, who invited Kerry last year, will receive him at the Shahjalal International Airport around 9.30am.

But the visit will take place just before the US general elections in November amid perception that the US is not happy with the Hasina government following the last parliamentary elections that Washington did not find ‘credible’ since the BNP-led opposition boycotted the vote.

Bangladesh is not happy either as Dhaka did not get the GSP trade privilege back. The US is the single largest trading partner of Bangladesh.

Washington has also its reservations about the process of the ongoing war crimes trial that put Jamaat-e-Islami leaders on trial for directing rapes, mass murders, and massacre of intellectuals to stop Bangladesh emerge out of Pakistan as an independent nation in 1971.

Kerry had even phoned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla in December 2013.

He will meet the prime minister, apart from his meeting with the foreign minister and visit of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and a garment factory in Mirpur.

But it is understood that security will top the agenda during his nine-hour tour as the visit follows the July 1 Holey Artisan Cafe siege in which 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, were killed.

Following the terror attack, Washington had issued travel warnings for Bangladesh and authorised a 'voluntary departure' of family members of US embassy diplomats and staff from Dhaka.

Kerry had also phoned the prime minister and sent the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Nisha Desai Biswal to express Washington’s solidarity with Bangladesh.

Biswal, during her visit, offered US expertise in building Bangladesh’s capabilities in countering terrorism.

The government, however, maintained that it would take “need-based” support from all “friendly” countries to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

The US Ambassador in Dhaka, Marcia Bernicat, on Sunday reiterated the US support when journalists asked her about the visit after a programme. She said “lots of offer” were on the table for assisting Bangladesh in countering terrorism.

The diplomat said some were new and many were ongoing assistance for counterterrorism, fight against violent extremism and cooperation with law-enforcing agencies.

                                   Visit Highlights

Arrival at about 9.3Oam; Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali to receive him at Shahjalal International Airport, officials say.

He will go to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi around 11:30am.

Kerry will go to see the prime minister at 12pm.

He will head to the State Guest House Padma at about 1.00pm to meet his counterpart Ali, who will also host lunch.

Kerry will deliver a speech at the EMK Center in Dhanmondi at 3pm

He will visit a garment factory, K-Tex Industrial Company Ltd, in Mirpur

From there, he will go to the Chancery Complex of the US Embassy at 5pm.

He is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 6:40pm for New Delhi. Foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque is expected to see him off.

“The visit is very nicely placed in the middle of all those ongoing efforts. This (visit) is an opportunity,” Bernicat observed.

A former ambassador, Ashfaque Rahman, however, wants Bangladesh to consider national interest before it seeks any assistance.

“I do not find much interest in the visit. He is coming just months before the end of his office,” he told bdnews24.com.

“We should not do anything which will compromise our national sovereignty,” he said, suggesting that “the cooperation should be limited within the sharing of intelligence and technical support”.

“By this time, Bangladesh has also shown that it is capable to handle the militants,” he said.

Kerry will leave Dhaka around 6.30pm for New Delhi where he will discuss on the US-India strategic partnership. India, which supported the last parliamentary elections, is a strong ally of the current government.

After the July 1 the terrorist attacks, the US also said they are on the same page with India when it comes to fighting terror in Dhaka.

As the Secretary of State goes to New Delhi from Dhaka, diplomats say Bangladesh issues will naturally be discussed there.

“John Kerry's visit is significant as India and Bangladesh can share their common perception on terrorism emanating from Pakistan which is the scourge of the globe,” said Saurabh Shukla, Editor in Chief of NewsMobile.in, India's first mobile media network.

He told bdnews24.com in an email that the visit would “also be an eye opener for the US which will begin to appreciate the good efforts Hasina regime has made to combat extremism and fundamentalism”.

“India and Bangladesh need to give a joint message that they will stand hand in hand to defeat extremism and terrorism of any kind and will work for the wellbeing of their people, and countries like the US have a shared interest in supporting this vision.”

The president of Bangladesh’s apex business body, FBCCI, however, urged Washington to lift the travel warnings.

“We should demand so during the visit,” Abdul Matlub Ahmad told bdnews24.com.

“This is injustice to us. Terrorism is a global phenomenon, but Bangladesh’s measures and reaction have been unprecedented,” he said.

He also demanded GSP privilege back as he believed the decision to suspend the facility was “unfair”.

“We have proved again and again that the businesspeople are so committed that despite adverse situation exports went up across the world and even in the US,” he said. “Now it’s the US’s turn to help us”.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Department of State said Kerry’s travel to Dhaka was to highlight the “longstanding and broad US-Bangladesh relationship”.

He will meet senior government officials to discuss “our growing cooperation on global issues”.

“He also will focus on strengthening our longstanding bilateral partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights,” it added.