Don‍‍`t pay heed to rumours over sanctions: FM Momen

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday urged all ignore rumours over new US sanctions,  noting that there has been no discussion on this in Washington.

"For God‍‍`s sake, don‍‍`t destroy your sleep thinking of those (rumours)," he told reporters when his attention was drawn about some media reports indicating new phase of US sanctions on individuals.

The foreign minister met reporters after a meeting with the delegation of the joint International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) pre-election assessment mission (PEAM) here.

"We were in the US...not a single person did tell us that a tornado is coming. You cook it up. They (US) only want free and fair elections. Even the words - participatory or caretaker government - were not uttered," Momen said while responding to a question. 

The delegation is in Bangladesh to follow electoral preparations and conduct an independent and impartial assessment.

Momen said they have briefed the visiting joint delegation of NDI-IRI about Bangladesh’s democratic journey, electoral process and noted that the government wants to see "free, fair, transparent" elections without any violence.

Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said they have developed a "fair electoral management system" through the independent Election Commission which is "very impartial and powerful".

"They didn‍‍`t give me any advice, they listened to us," Momen said.

The foreign minister said it requires sincere cooperation from all to make the election free from violence.

He said they gave a comparative development scenario that have been achieved over the last 15 years and the delegation members said nobody can defeat that performance.

Momen said they had discussion on free and fair elections but there was no discussion on caretaker government or participatory elections.

"If people participate and can cast their votes freely that is participatory," Momen said.

He said they want all to participate in elections as there there is only one way to change government- that is election.

Earlier, delegation member former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Karl F. Inderfurth on Sunday said the international community plays an important role in supporting Bangladesh as it prepares for the elections,.

“We are here to listen to a variety of actors and show our support for a transparent and inclusive electoral process,” he said the joint NDI-IRI mission began its work to assess the status of electoral preparations.

The six-member delegation will meet with a diverse group of election stakeholders including government officials, political party leaders, election authorities, civil society, and others till October 12.

The delegation is co-chaired by  Karl F. Inderfurth, former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs and Bonnie Glick, former Deputy USAID Administrator; and includes Maria Chin Abdullah, former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director for Asia-Pacific; and Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division.

“This joint pre-election assessment mission demonstrates our interest and support for democracy in Bangladesh,” said Bonnie Glick.

“We look forward to meeting with key stakeholders and to provide independent, impartial, and timely analysis as the country heads to the polls," he said.

The delegation will conduct its assessment in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh and consistent with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation which was signed in 2005 at the United Nations.

Following the conclusion of its activities, the delegation will release a statement of its key findings, analysis of the pre-election environment, and practical recommendations to enhance the credibility of the process and citizen confidence in the elections.

NDI and IRI are nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations that support and strengthen democratic institutions and practices worldwide.

The institutes have collectively observed more than 200 elections in more than 50 countries over the last 30 years.