AMBASSADOR AND SHEIKH HASINA DISCUSS CHALLENGES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001304 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/PB E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR EAID KDEM PTER BG IN SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND SHEIKH HASINA DISCUSS CHALLENGES FACING NEXT GOVERNMENT Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) SUMMARY ======= ¶1. (C) Awami League President Sheikh Hasina told the Ambassador on 12/15 her party was committed to implementing a long term strategy to address Bangladesh's development challenges, focused on agricultural development and decentralization. Hasina pledged to work closely with the USG to combat terrorism, including by developing a regional response to transnational terrorist threats. Hasina's technocratic advisers expressed concern about electoral code of conduct violations by the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party. For her part, Hasina appeared confident the country's voters would return her to power and predicted she would be able to entice the opposition to participate in the political process. Thus far, all signs indicate Hasina wants to forge a close partnership with the U.S. should she be elected. Vision 2021 =========== ¶2. (C) With two weeks remaining until Bangladesh's parliamentary elections, the Ambassador met with Awami League President Sheikh Hasina to provide a readout of his recent visit to Washington and to hear her perspectives on the ongoing political campaign. Hasina's personal aides and members of the Awami League's Advisory Council -- including former Ambassadors Muhammad Zamir and Mohammed Ziauddin and former Secretary H.T. Imam, who heads the party's election committee -- took part in the meeting. The Ambassador complimented Hasina on the party's Election Manifesto, which was released December 12 (analysis provided septel). Hasina highlighted the Awami League's commitment to rural development, focusing on the need to expand agro-industry. She also emphasized the importance of decentralization, noting that this went beyond the current government's plans for holding upazila (county) elections. Hasina said her goal was not simply to focus on the priorities for the coming five years, but to look even further ahead. She said the Awami League's "Vision 2021" set ambitious targets for the country to achieve by its 50th anniversary of independence. Regional Approach to Counter Terrorism ====================================== ¶3. (S) During a one-on-one, Hasina pledged to work with the U.S. to forge a regional approach to counter terrorism. She agreed with the Ambassador's analysis that the November attacks in Mumbai represented a threat both to the U.S. and to the countries within the region. Hasina highlighted her past success working with India to resolve conflict in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts region, noting this also required dealing with armed groups and the intelligence agencies which sponsored them. Hasina acknowledged the challenges she would face in convincing some within Bangladesh's security establishment of the need to adopt a new approach to regional cooperation. The Ambassador promised to provide Hasina with detailed proposals on U.S. - Bangladesh counter terrorism cooperation following the elections, if the Awami League were to return to power. Concerns about BNP Electoral Tactics ==================================== ¶4. (C) Hasina and her technocratic colleagues expressed concern over a perceived pattern of electoral code of conduct violations by the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The AL planned to complain to the Election Commission about these alleged violations and also to urge election officials to enforce the code of conduct. The Awami League accused the BNP of waging a negative campaign, including efforts to portray Hasina and her party members as anti-Islamic. Hasina repeated the AL concern about the need for mobile phone networks to remain functioning on election day in order to foil attempts to disrupt the process. The Ambassador acknowledged these concerns, but reminded Hasina of the procedures in place for resolving complaints on election day. The Ambassador also highlighted USG efforts to ensure a robust international observation effort, both on election day and during the campaign period. Hasina seemed particularly pleased to learn that IRI would be conducting exit polls to help verify the credibility of the announced election results. Alliance Politics ================= DHAKA 00001304 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) Hasina confided to the Ambassador the challenges of managing her party's alliance with former President Ershad's Jatiya Party. She complained that some in her party had been too generous in allocating seats to Jatiya candidates. Even then, Ershad continued to make unreasonable demands. Hasina said the next Parliament would elect a new President. She refused to speculate about Ershad's chances of being chosen. While preparing to hit the campaign trail later in the day, Hasina said she thought the electorate had already made up its mind about whom it would support. Comment ======= ¶6. (C) As she had in earlier meetings, Hasina appeared relaxed and confident that she would return to the Prime Minister's office. She indulged her colleagues who used their presence in the meeting to advance their own ideas -- and to toady up to the boss. Towards the end of the meeting, she introduced the Ambassador to her sister, Sheikh Rehana, and niece, who arrived from London December 13 to assist her during the campaign. While clearly suspicious of the BNP's intentions, Hasina appeared confident that her rival would take part in elections and would participate in the process after the results were tallied. For Hasina, her 1996 - 2001 tenure in office was a "golden period" for Bangladesh. She appears to think that a return to this era is now only weeks away. So far, all the signals from Hasina are positive regarding her desire for close relations with the U.S. should she return to office. MORIARTY