ADMIRAL FALLON'S VISIT TO BANGLADESH

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001975

SIPDIS

CORRECTED COPY--TEXT ADDED

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2015
TAGS: MARR MASS PREL PTER PGOV BG
SUBJECT: ADMIRAL FALLON'S VISIT TO BANGLADESH


Classified By: P/E Counselor D.C. McCullough, reason para 1.4 b, d.


1. (U) Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Pacific
Command, visited Bangladesh 16-17 April 2005. During the
visit he had the opportunity to meet with Foreign Minister
Morshed Khan; Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr.
Kamal Uddin Siddique; Chief of Army Staff, LTG Hasan Mashhud
Chowdhury; and Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces
Division, MG A I M Reza Noor.


2. (C) Foreign Minister Morshed Khan welcomed close
cooperation with U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) since 9/11 and
expressed his commitment to working with the U.S. to
institutionalize Democracy in Bangladesh and combat
terrorism. He emphasized that PACOM engagement has supported
Bangladesh capacity building and has enabled it to become one
the largest UN troop contributors. During the meeting, the
Foreign Minister observed that trafficking in weapons, drugs
and people from Burma had increased as Thailand has
effectively increased enforcement along its border.


3. (C) The Foreign Minister described Bangladesh,s role in
the region as a &voice of moderation8 that is committed to
de-nuclearization of South Asia. He then complained about
India,s heavy role in the region, especially the unfair
negative picture India paints about extremism in Bangladesh
and for their blocking progress on free trade in the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He stated
that Bangladesh welcomed further support and discussion on
civic action capacity building and support for counter
terrorism, stating that the Bangladesh Government took the
extremist threat very seriously and was taking concrete steps
to curb it.


4. (C) Dr. Kamal Siddique, Principal Secretary to the Prime
Minister, discounted the influence of extremist Islam in
Bangladesh and claimed that Bangladeshis were &religious,
but hate extremists.8 He stated that government efforts to
control the madrassas were being supported by international
donors and that further efforts to change the economic and
social conditions that support terrorists had to be
implemented. Dr. Siddique also stated that even though the
Intelligence Services were sharing information with the U.S.,
they still lacked adequate training and equipment, and were
weak and ineffective. He expressed a desire for deeper
cooperation and sharing between Bangladesh and the U.S. He
then stated that the Prime Minister wants to take tougher
measures to curb extremism and improve the economy, but is
going to wait until after the election in 2007 to implement
the more &unpleasant actions.8 As an example, he stated
that the government planned on divesting 51% of the national
airline, Biman, if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won
the next election. Admiral Fallon stated to Dr. Siddiqui that
the widespread corruption and lack of trust in the government
will make Bangladesh look favorable to terrorist groups and
that Bangladesh should not take its history of peaceful Islam
for granted. Dr. Siddique acknowledged that Admiral was
&speaking as a friend,8 and stated he would convey his
concerns to the Prime Minister.


5. (SBU) Meetings with the Chief of Army Staff and
Principal Staff officer focused on specific military
requirements including: simulator training equipment for the
Army, the importance of UN participation and the shortage of
armored personnel carriers (APC) that has hampered
Bangladesh,s ability to participate in UN missions. The Army
Chief highlighted the importance of Army Troops at polling
places during elections to ensure free and fair elections and
underscored their role in nation-building and civic action.

Comment:


6. (C) Press reporting on the visit was accurate and
indicates that Admiral Fallon,s core message was received by
the Bangladesh Government. Follow-up commentary in the press
is mixed and reflects the two prevailing schools of thought
in Bangladesh - that there is no terrorism problem, or that
the country is on the brink.


7. (U) Admiral Fallon cleared this message.
CHAMMAS