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RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 DHAKA 000491 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/PB AND SCA/FO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PINS EAID ELAB ETRD BG
SUBJECT: FOREIGN ADVISER EXPLAINS CTG'S VISION DURING 
AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty.  Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
Summary 
 ------- 
 
¶1.  (C)  As it prepares for elections by the end of 2008, the 
Caretaker Government is focused on ensuring the continuity of 
the reforms it initiated after coming to office in January 
2007, according to Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Chowdhury.  He 
noted that a key component of its strategy for achieving this 
goal was to dilute the power of the Prime Minister by 
strengthening the Presidency.  The Caretaker Government (CTG) 
was counting on the support of civil society and the 
international community as the political process moved 
forward.  While Iftekhar presented a logical, compelling 
vision, we are not clear how fully the rest of the CTG and 
the Army share that vision. 
 
Foreign Adviser Welcomes Ambassador to Bangladesh 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2.  (C)  The Ambassador paid an introductory call on Foreign 
Affairs Advisor Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury April 29. 
Pol/Econ Chief (notetaker), the MFA,s DG Americas, and the 
Director of the Foreign Adviser,s office also participated 
in the meeting.  Iftekhar recalled fondly his tenure in New 
York as Bangladesh,s Permanent Representative to the United 
Nations, noting his excellent working relationships with the 
Deputy Secretary (who was USUN Permanent Representative at 
the time) as well as with Ambassador Bolton.  Iftekhar noted 
that Bangladesh and the U.S. had worked together to push 
through much of the UN reform package that the USG had 
proposed. 
 
¶3. (C)  The Foreign Adviser said that he was planning to 
travel to Pakistan May 6 - 9, and would meet with the Prime 
Minister, Foreign Minister, PPP Leader Asif Zardari, and 
PML-N Leader Nawaz Sharif.  He planned to deliver a message 
from the Chief Adviser to the Pakistani Government and hoped 
to "strike while the iron was hot."  Iftekhar did not give 
any indication of what message he would be carrying. 
 
CTG Hopeful About Weathering Food Crisis 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Ambassador expressed interest in reports that the 
Bangladeshi economy was beginning to rebound. He told 
Iftekhar that the USG was responding to Bangladesh,s food 
aid needs and hoped to soon be able to provide an additional 
$10 million in food through WFP.  The Ambassador also noted 
that we would be making a contribution to efforts to respond 
to the emerging famine in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.  The 
Foreign Adviser, who had been given responsibility for 
coordination in Sylhet Division, said the GOB had virtually 
finished procurement for the upcoming "boro" crop in that 
area.  If the boro harvest meets expectations, the food 
crisis should be "behind us," according to Iftekhar. 
(Comment:  This may be true in terms of gross food supplies, 
but it still will not fully address the issue of 
affordability of food for the most vulnerable populations.) 
Iftekhar noted that the GOB had a great deal of experience 
dealing with food issues and was confident they would be able 
to manage the current situation. 
 
¶5.  (C) Turning to the global food situation, Iftekhar said 
he had recently proposed in Accra that the UNSYG should be 
personally involved in coordinating the global political 
response.  He said he was pleased that Ban Ki Moon had 
recently announced that he would be setting up a group of 
eminent persons to look at the food situation at the global 
level.  Bangladesh had provided input into that decision. 
Also, Iftekhar revealed that Japan had suggested that 
Bangladesh should provide technical assistance for a "green 
revolution" initiative in Africa. 
 
Political Process Moves Forward 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C)  Turning to elections, Iftekhar said that Chief 
Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed would announce an "approximate" 
election date soon.  Iftekhar acknowledged that determining 
the precise date for polls was within the purview of the 
 
DHAKA 00000491  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
Election Commission.  He told the Ambassador that the 
international community would be happy with the proposed 
timetable.  Iftekhar added that he and the other four 
Advisers who had participated in the informal dialogue with 
the political parties would report their findings to the 
Chief Adviser on April 30.  He said it was important to have 
"broken bread" with the parties.  His personal advantage as a 
participant in the talks had been his familiarity with all of 
the players, many of whom he had hosted during their foreign 
travels. 
 
¶7.  (C) Responding to the Ambassador's question, Iftekhar 
noted that the CTG had to find a way to get the parties to 
endorse the reforms as well.  The CTG could not afford to be 
seen as wanting to perpetuate its own existence.  Still, the 
CTG wanted to see the reforms that had been started endure 
past December.  Iftekhar acknowledged a danger it would all 
go away unless the parties were brought on board. 
 
A Magna Carta for BD? 
--------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) For this reason, the CTG was proposing that the 
parties agree to a "Magna Carta" before elections which would 
be endorsed by the nation.   In return, the parties would be 
assured of gaining power after elections.   Iftekhar said 
that there was also discussion of changes in the institution 
of the Presidency.  The "Magna Carta" could include 
amendments that would result in a sharing of power between 
the President and Prime Minister.   When questioned about the 
need to amend the Constitution, Iftekhar noted that this 
document "had not been written by God."  Iftekhar 
acknowledged that this proposal had not yet been endorsed by 
the entire government. 
 
¶9.  (C) Looking at the formation of the next government, 
Iftekhar admitted that the transition would have to be 
carefully calibrated.  He suggested a coalition arrangement 
in which the majority party would fill most of the seats in 
the cabinet but reserve some for other parties based on their 
share of the vote.  The President would be responsible for 
protecting institutions like the Army and the independent 
commissions.   This would ensure civilian control, but 
achieve a balance of power.  Eventually, this would also 
allow the country to overcome the differences between the two 
former Prime Ministers.  Iftekhar said he did not think that 
the former PMs would want to return to office since the post 
of PM would be diminished under the new system. 
 
A Need for International Support 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (C) In order to achieve this outcome, there would be a 
need for carefully calibrated support from Bangladesh's 
international partners.  The Ambassador assured the Foreign 
Adviser that the USG would support the return to democracy. 
Iftekhar said that we needed to work this partnership more 
closely "than our cousins have done (referring to Pakistan)." 
 Iftekhar said that Bangladesh could prove to be a model for 
the world, and in a generation could become like Singapore, 
albeit with stronger democratic institutions.  In addition, 
Bangladesh was a moderate Muslim state, albeit one under 
pressure from other forces including those from the Middle 
East.  The Ambassador highlighted the need to deny space to 
terrorists in Bangladesh, in part because this would make it 
easier for us to deal with radicalism in other parts of the 
world.  The Foreign Adviser agreed with this analysis. 
 
Progress on Institutional Reforms Vital for the Future... 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶11.  (C)  Iftekhar noted that the CTG's goal was for the 
country to be known as a responsible international actor. 
He boasted that "no bombs had gone off, no shots had been 
fired in anger by the state," during the CTG's tenure.   The 
challenge, he said, was to institutionalize these 
achievements.  Iftekhar claimed that we were seeing a 
reassertion of the Bangladeshi middle class' interests. 
Focusing on civil society's "middle class" values, Iftekhar 
said the CTG would not back down over the controversial 
Women's Development Policy, despite opposition from Islamic 
fundamentalists.  He said that the Policy would be passed 
 
DHAKA 00000491  003 OF 004 
 
 
before the end of the government's term in December. 
 
¶12.  (C) Summarizing, Iftekhar said that the CTG was trying 
to move ahead in four baskets of reforms:  electoral; anti 
corruption; governance; and institution building.  In each 
area the government needed to have buy in from the middle 
class.   Iftekhar said he had great faith in this class, 
which had modern values and whose members made up the bulk of 
the civil service and the army.  He noted that they were also 
the backbone of the thriving NGO community.  While at times 
these values were criticized for being too Western, Iftekhar 
said the CTG considered them universal and defined the 
"Spirit of 1/11." 
 
...Domestic and International Pressure Needed 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (C) Hopefully, the force of domestic public opinion and 
pressure from Bangladesh's friends would help keep the 
reforms in place, according to Iftekhar.  He highlighted the 
establishment of an independent Election Commission and 
Public Service Commission.  (As an aside, Iftekhar 
acknowledged that some of these changes had been difficult 
for an entrenched civil service accustomed to "protecting 
democracy, not practicing it.")  He also reiterated the GOB's 
commitment to establishing a Human Rights Commission. 
Iftekhar said that the government could not be allowed to 
deny human rights, and no government could be allowed to use 
violence to keep itself in office. The main challenge moving 
forward, Iftekhar said, was to choose the right kind of 
people for the commission.   The CTG was quietly looking for 
individuals with the right profile and solid international 
reputations. 
 
¶14.  (C)  Iftekhar said that Bangladesh faced a problem in 
adjusting the culture of the administration.  Iftekhar said 
that the Anti Corruption Commission had been fairly active, 
and he hoped it would remain so.  He acknowledged the 
importance of having the right individuals in these 
independent commissions, and said that the right man was in 
the job as ACC Commissioner.  Iftekhar noted he had worked 
closely with the ACC Chairman when the latter had been 
Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff.  Working together (with 
Iftekhar in NY), the two had expanded Bangladesh's role in 
international peacekeeping.  By expanding into non-English 
speaking countries like the Ivory Coast and Congo, Bangladesh 
had grown to be one of the two leading contributors to PKO. 
 
¶15.  (C) Iftekhar admitted that the separation of the 
judiciary from the executive would not be easy to complete, 
since it went against 150 years of tradition and vested 
interest.  Those who favored the previous situation 
complained that the judicial system now moved much more 
slowly. 
 
Labor Issues and Trade 
---------------------- 
 
¶16. (C) Looking at the Middle East, Iftekhar said it had been 
a challenge for Bangladesh to work with these countries on 
worker rights issues.  The UAE had signed a labor agreement 
with Bangladesh, and Oman would soon do so.  These countries 
did not normally place much emphasis on worker rights. 
Bangladesh had to be conscious of the need to protect this 
important source of employment and remittances, but wanted to 
ensure the best possible conditions for its workers. 
 
¶17.  (C) The Foreign Adviser said that he would save 
discussion of readymade garment exports for another time, but 
noted that he had written to every U.S. Member of Congress 
arguing for increased market access.   Bangladesh was making 
a huge effort in this regard.  The Ambassador alerted the 
Foreign Adviser to a recent report by the AFL-CIO on the 
shrimp industry in Bangladesh.   While we had seen progress 
in the EPZs and in some parts of the shrimp industry, the 
picture was not so positive with respect to other parts of 
the shrimp industry and to RMG manufacturing outside the 
EPZs.  It was important that Bangladesh make progress on 
worker rights issues. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
DHAKA 00000491  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶18. (C)  The Foreign Adviser was relaxed during the meeting 
and clearly presented the CTG's vision for ensuring the 
continuity of reforms through a carefully managed political 
process.  Still, there are a number of details that will need 
to be resolved, and it will be important for the CTG to find 
a way to get the political parties to agree to participate in 
the process.  Iftekhar puts a great deal of stock into the 
ability of civil society to put pressure on the parties to 
play along.  While we agree that the desire for reform is 
widely shared, the CTG needs to realize that its own 
popularity is slipping by the day.  Also, it is not clear 
whether the Army and the CTG are fully in agreement about the 
way forward. 
Moriarty