VZCZCXRO6400
RR RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #2146/01 1071032
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 171032Z APR 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1075
SECSTATE WASHDC
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9037
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 8489
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7394
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 002146 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY (ADDED ADDRESS) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/17/2011 
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM PROG BG
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALLS AT MFA 
 
DHAKA 00002146  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Butenis, reason para 1.4 d. 
 
 ¶1. (C) Summary.  MFA officials assured the Ambassador of 
their strong support for U.S.-Bangla relations, and of the 
BDG's commitment to combat extremism and conduct free 
elections.  Foreign Minister Khan hoped the Secretary would 
soon visit Bangladesh, reiterated his request for CT 
equipment and other help from the USG, and agreed that the 
JMB investigation should be pursued wherever it went.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On April 15, Ambassador made separate introductory 
calls at MFA on Americas DG Shahidul Islam, Additional 
Secretary Tauhid Hossain, Foreign Secretary Hemayetuddin, 
 
SIPDIS 
Foreign Policy Adviser Reaz Rahman, and Foreign Minister 
Morshed Khan.  P/E counselor (notetaker) accompanied. 
Septels report exchanges on the UN Human Rights Council and 
Guatemala's candidacy for the UN Security Council. 
 
Building Bilateral Bonds 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador opened by noting her delight at her 
warm reception in Bangladesh.  Her consultations in 
Washington had underscored the growing USG interest in South 
Asia and Bangladesh, with particular emphasis on 
counter-terrorism, extremism, and the critical importance of 
a successful election in January 2007.  She also raised USG 
concern about the corrosive impact of corruption on 
governance and business. 
 
¶4. (C) The MFA officials pledged their full support for 
U.S.-Bangla relations and any needs of the Embassy. 
Hemayetuddin characterized relations as "excellent" and the 
U.S. as "a high priority country" who had demonstrated that 
it was a "close and trusted friend" of Bangladesh. 
 
¶5. (C) After the Ambassador thanked him for serving as chief 
guest at last month's "America Week" outreach program in 
Chittagong, Khan said the thousands of ordinary Bangladeshis 
who turned out for the events reflected the underlying 
strength of our bilateral relationship.  He regretted, 
however, that POTUS had been unable to include Bangladesh on 
his recent trip to South Asia, but earnestly hoped that the 
Secretary would visit Dhaka in the near future.  The 
 
SIPDIS 
Ambassador agreed to convey Khan's best wishes to the 
Secretary and remind her of what Khan said was her 
 
SIPDIS 
undertaking at their meeting in Washington to visit 
Bangladesh. 
 
¶6. (C) Asked about his bilateral agenda, Khan replied that 
Bangladesh can learn a lot from the U.S. on strengthening 
democracy and democratic institutions.  He had recently 
received a letter from Senator Lugar, he said, indicating 
that Bangladesh could expect greater support from the USG on 
counter-terrorism and other issues once it demonstrated 
progress in confronting terrorism.  Khan expressed confidence 
that the BDG has met this challenge, and hoped that the 
political context will reflect that when the USG evaluates 
BDG requests for duty-free access to the U.S. garment market 
and to receive Millennium Challenge Account support. 
 
Counter-Terrorism 
----------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Hemayetuddin called for more CT cooperation to address 
"so-called" militancy in Bangladesh.  Recent successes 
against Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) demonstrated BDG 
resolve and sincerity on this issue, he said.  In the climate 
of fear created by JMB, mixed with government and popular 
determination to reject JMB and extremism, excesses by the 
controversial but popular Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were 
"sometimes inevitable."  He agreed with the Ambassador's 
interjection that such excesses still must be addressed, but 
suggested it is hard to second guess law enforcers on the 
ground.  The Ambassador reiterated that human rights are 
important and cannot be minimized. 
 
¶8. (C) Hemayetuddin noted that Bangladeshis had just 
celebrated Bengali New Year in "unprecedented" numbers, which 
reflect the cultural diversity of "the real Bangladesh." 
Bangladeshis, he said, made a point of participating in 
public events to underscore their rejection of JMB's 
exclusionist outlook and their commitment to tolerance and 
moderation.  JMB "is on the run" precisely because it has no 
grounding in Bangladeshi society, he said. 
 
¶9. (C) The USG, the Ambassador repeated, is deeply interested 
in the JMB investigation and seeing it pursued to the very 
end.  Hemayetuddin insisted the BDG would show no "laxity" on 
 
DHAKA 00002146  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
this front since that would undermine its prospects in the 
upcoming election.  In response to the Ambassador's question, 
he said there are some casual, personal ties between JMB and 
Jamaat Islami, but he had no reason to believe they were 
substantive. 
 
¶10. (C) Reaz Rahman, four hours off the plane from his trip 
to the U.S., stated that 2005 was a "terrible year" because 
it distracted Bangladesh from its real war on poverty.  Two 
years ago, we were "clueless" about militancy in Bangladesh, 
but the JMB attacks shocked and motivated Bangladeshis to 
action.  "We've broken the back" of the JMB leadership, he 
continued, but the investigation continues.  Thus far, he 
 stated, there is no direct evidence of external funding or 
other links to JMB.  "It took years for us to get out of the 
basket case image," Rahman lamented.  "We don't want to get 
trapped by a similar image problem with militancy." 
 
¶11. (C) Morshed Khan asserted he is pressing his BDG 
colleagues hard on JMB.  "We caught one Bangla Bhai, but I 
say what about the next one?"  At his last meetings in 
Washington, USG officials, he reported, had stressed the 
importance of following the IMB investigation no matter where 
it led.  "I understand what this means, and I took that 
message back to Dhaka."  He reiterated his plea for 
counter-terrorism equipment in addition to training.  "We 
have learned that unholy money can get better capabilities 
than a poor developing country like us." 
 
Elections 
--------- 
 
¶12. (C) When the Ambassador flagged the election as another 
major USG interest, Hemayetuddin said that although elections 
are "lively and emotional," as they are in India, 
Bangladeshis view them as "sacred" and look forward to them 
as an established right.  Khan insisted that the election 
will be "very fair" and comparable to European standards.  He 
welcomed foreign monitors, and declared, "We can't afford not 
to have a credible election." 
 
Nuclear Power 
------------- 
 
¶13. (C) Noting Bangladesh's accelerating power problems, 
Hemayetuddin suggested that "cheap" nuclear power would 
provide major benefits to the Bangladeshi economy, and called 
for international support to expand its non-functional 
nuclear research reactor.  The Ambassador took the point. 
 
Corruption 
---------- 
 
¶14. (C) When the Ambassador expressed disappointment over the 
poor start thus far of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), 
Khan said: "I am not satisfied with the commission."  As a 
private sector businessman, he continued, he understood the 
damage corruption inflicts on prices, governance, and growth. 
 "Corruption is not at a tolerable level." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶15. (C) As the meetings were relatively short and focused on 
protocol, Hemayetuddin and the Ambassador agreed to meet 
again before her departure at the end of April for Washington 
to discuss key issues in greater detail.  Khan, though, 
leaned as far forward as a BDG leader can on JMB and 
corruption.  His "understanding" of the implications of 
pursuing the JMB investigation to the end refers to 
addressing widespread allegations that four BNP leaders from 
the Rajshahi area had ties to Bangla Bhai and Abdur Rahman. 
While we welcome his statement that he brought that message 
back to Dhaka, there has been no hint of BDG action to hold 
those four accountable.  Instead, the inclusion of one of 
them -- Housing State Minister Alamgir Kabir -- on the 
five-person BDG committee that defused the Kansat uprising 
illustrates the BDG's continued attachment to these leaders 
for their major political capital in the run-up to the next 
election. 
BUTENIS