SCA DAS GASTRIGHT MEETING WITH SHEIKH HASINA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001863

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2011
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER BG
SUBJECT: SCA DAS GASTRIGHT MEETING WITH SHEIKH HASINA


Classified By: P/E Counselor D.C. McCullough, reason 1.4(d)


1. (C) Summary. Opposition Awami League (AL) president
Sheikh Hasina expressed concern over the lack of movement on
investigating or prosecuting JMB and JMJB suspects, and
reiterated her call for international investigation of
terrorist incidents in Bangladesh. She also urged the
international community to interrogate JMB leaders Shaikh
Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai. DAS Gastright praised Hasina's
"statesmanship" in returning to Parliament, and urged AL
leaders to move forward on forming the proposed election
reform committee. Hasina indicated agreement on
participating in the committee but said a deadline is
necessary to ensure that reforms are in place well before the
caretaker government takes charge in October. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On March 31, SCA Deputy Assistant Secretary John
Gastright met with Awami League president Sheikh Hasina. AL
SYG Abdul Jalil, Hasina's Political Secretary, Saber Hussain
Chowdhury, and other AL officials, along with Charge and
econoff (notetaker),were also present.


3. (C) Hasina complained that the BDG is coasting on its
recent arrests of Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB)
leaders, and that it has failed to take any steps to
investigate the links between terrorist groups like JMB and
members of the ruling coalition. Saber Chowdhury stated that
the BDG was only looking at HUJI-B and JMB, and was not
interested in other terrorist and fundamentalist groups
operating in Bangladesh. Even JMB and HUJI-B, he predicted,
will return under different names and with new tactics before
the elections. By arresting a few JMB leaders, he implied,
the BDG was trying to defuse terrorism as a political issue.
Hasina asked for UN and Interpol investigations of all
terrorist acts in Bangladesh, especially the August 21, 2004,
attack on the AL rally in Dhaka. DAS Gastright and Charge
agreed on the need for timely terrorist investigations and
prosecutions, but stressed that the USG must respect the
sovereignty of Bangladesh and could not interfere in the
judicial or investigative process absent BDG requests for
assistance.


4. (C) When asked about progress on forming the election
reform committee, Hasina noted that she had received a letter
from PM Zia asking for names of committee members from the
14-party alliance. She acknowledged that the decision to
allow non-MPs to participate is positive since it would
members of her coalition who are not represented in
Parliament to participate. However, she argued that BNP
efforts on the committee were insincere since PM Zia and
others within the government continue to publicly reject the
key AL reform proposals. Hasina also objected to the
letter's request for participant names from the AL did not
include the names of proposed participants for the ruling
coalition. Hasina said that although she has drawn up the
list of her particpants, she will not submit them before
receiving the ruling coaltion names. (Note: AL leaders
publicly stated on April 1 that they would not accept Jamaat
Islami and other "anti-Liberation" members on the committee.)


5. (C) Saber added that, in a recent BBC political forum,
Minister of Communications Nazmul Huda said that election
reforms would be left up to the caretaker government, which
seems to undercut the rationale for a reform committee.
Hasina said that BNP would drag the reform process until
October to make sure that no reform proposals are
implemented. She reiterated that AL will only participate in
the reform committee on the condition that a deadline is set
for accepting and implementing reforms well before the
caretaker government takes office in October.


6. (C) AL leaders, when asked about participating in the
elections, said that they are committed to the democratic
process, and see free and fair elections as the only
legitimate way to assume power. They expressed doubt,
however, that the AL would be afforded the opportunity to
contest the elections freely and fairly. Saber said that AL
is not looking for handouts or unfair electoral advantages.
"We are merely asking for a reasonable chance to win the
elections through a reasonable opportunity to take our agenda
to the people." Hasina said that there is no point in
contesting the elections when BNP had predetermined the
outcome and that participation would merely legitimize a
rigged election. The new voter list being prepared by the
Election Commission, she said, is a farce orchestrated with
the help of Jamaat Islami's student wing, Shibir. DAS
Gastright reiterated the need to participate in the reform

DHAKA 00001863 002 OF 002


committee and in the elections to ensure that the democratic
process continues to develop in Bangladesh.


7. (C) Charge asked Hasina about her son's return to
Bangladesh. Hasina said that her U.S.-based son Joy would be
in Bangladesh for the elections to support the AL but he he
would not run for Parliament. She expects him to run for
office someday, but he is not ready to join Bangladeshi
politics yet. She claimed, though, that many AL activists
are calling for Joy's candidacy in the upcoming elections.


8. (U) This cable was cleared by DAS Gastright.
BUTENIS