President of U.S.-based human rights group ‘Right to Freedom’ Ambassador William B Milam and Executive Director American diplomat Jon Danilowicz called on Chief Adviser of the interim government Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka on Thursday (Mar 6), local media reported.
They updated the Chief Adviser about the work of the Right to Freedom and their plan to expand its activities in Bangladesh as part of its efforts to assist the country in its democratic transition.
Muhammad Yunus appreciated the work of the non-profit group and also the efforts by the two diplomats to support human rights and democratic values in Bangladesh.
Ambassador Milam, who served as U.S. envoy in Bangladesh in the early 1990s, lauded the Interim Government's reform initiatives, saying the July uprising has offered big opportunities to carry out sweeping reforms and establishing a true democracy in Bangladesh.
Jon Danilowicz, also a former deputy ambassador of the U.S. embassy in Dhaka, said Bangladesh needs positive narratives and serious efforts to tackle the menace of fake news and disinformation.
During the hour-long meeting, Prof Yunus told the diplomats that political parties would sign a July Charter after the conclusion of the dialogue on the reforms recommended by the six commissions.
"The July Charter will guide us," he said, adding that the Interim Government would implement parts of the recommendations made in the July Charter and the rest will be implemented by next political governments.
They also discussed the current Bangladesh-US relations, the Rohingya crisis, and the impact of dwindling aid for the much-persecuted Myanmar refugees, recovering billions of dollars stolen during the previous regime, the Chief Adviser's attempt to revive the SAARC and possible dates for the upcoming elections.
The Chief Adviser said the elections would be held either in December, provided the political parties agreed to fewer reforms ahead of the vote, or by June next year.
