CONGRESSMAN CHABOT CALLS ON ACTING FOREIGN AFFAIRS

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000305 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV CVIS CASC BG SUBJECT: CONGRESSMAN CHABOT CALLS ON ACTING FOREIGN AFFAIRS ADVISOR Classified By: Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis, Reason(s): 1.4 (b) ¶1. (C) Summary. The acting Foreign Affairs adviser told Congressman Chabot that the government is committed to early elections once the proper environment is in place, assured him that journalist Shoaib Chowdhury would receive fair treatment, and hoped that new visa requirements for visitors in Bangladesh would be lifted soon for American citizens. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On February 22, Acting Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain met with Congressman Steven Chabot, the Ambassador, econoff (control officer) and poloff (notetaker). Also present in the 45-minute meeting were MFA UN Director Hamid Rashid and Americas-Pacific Director Abida Islam. ¶3. (C) Hossain stated that Bangladeshis have struggled for democracy and hold their governments accountable. When parties fail to deliver, he noted, they are voted out of office. The government, he said, plans to hold elections as soon as possible, but "we are not going to return to the status quo." To ensure fair elections that don,t involve the influence of illicit money and muscle power will take time, he added, and a successful anti-corruption drive is a vital precondition. ¶4. (C) After Mr. Chabot urged that the sedition charges against journalist Shoaib Chowdhury be dropped, Hossain said he is well aware of the case. He noted that Shoaib is not in custody and that the legal process takes time. However, Shoaib is not under threat of a death penalty since the maximum sentence in his case is 20 years, which would be 13.5 years in practice. He assured Chabot that "fairness will prevail." Mr. Chabot responded that the issue is getting a lot of attention in the U.S. as Shoaib is trying to promote religious tolerance, which is not something that would seem to warrant imprisonment. ¶5. (C) Mr. Chabot asked if there was any chance the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party might reconcile or cooperate for the good of the country. Hossain demurred, noting that there is strong animosity between the two party leaders. He wished that Bangladesh were more bipartisan like the U.S. ¶6. (C) The Ambassador raised the additional visa and registration requirements that Bangladesh recently put into place for visitors. People continue to be asked to register downtown and obtain exit permits, she said. Hossain said that he hope the new requirements will be dropped for American citizens within the next 15 days. ¶7. (C) As for the UN Convention on Anti-Corruption that Bangladesh announced it would join, Hossain said that the instruments of accession would be deposited while Foreign Affairs Advisor Iftikar Chowdhury is in New York to wrap up his departure as Bangladesh's UN Permanent Representative. As part of the anti-corruption drive, an ordinance will be issued to bar from running for public office anyone who has been arrested for corruption and while their cases are being tried and or any conviction is being appealed. "This is so we can eliminate those elements who take advantage of the laws." 8.(U) Mr. Chabot cleared the substance of this cable prior to his departure. BUTENIS