The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar ahmed Chowdhury said the state of emergency will be lifted well ahead of December 29 general elections and it would be announced soon.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with the chief of EU election observation mission, Alexander Graf Lamsdroff, at the Foreign Ministry, he hoped that a good election would be held with cooperation from all sides.

The Adviser welcomed the EU election observation mission to monitor the elections, saying that Bangladesh would return to its political tradition characterized by democracy, pluralism and liberalism. Asked about the lifting of emergency rules, Iftekhar said the matter was discussed with Lamsdroff. "It will be lifted well ahead of the elections…a precise date of lifting (emergency) will be known soon."

He compared the caretaker government with a river and said that as a river ends up in ocean, the caretaker government is taking all towards the ocean of elections.

The EU Election Observers Mission expressed satisfaction over the election preparations but reiterated their call for lifting emergency ahead of the Dec 29 polls.

A six-member delegation of the EU mission led by its chief Alexander Lambsdorff also called on Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda at his office and discussed matters of the upcoming polls in Bangladesh.

Lambsdorff, after meeting with Dr Iftekhar, said, "I congratulate the caretaker government on the preparations taken so far for the polls."

He hoped that the upcoming general elections would be held in a "peaceful" manner.

On the state of emergency, he said: "Generally speaking it is desirable that the state of emergency be lifted before the elections but I will talk to everyone involved and give a final assessment tomorrow (Friday)."

Lambsdorff is scheduled to hold a press conference today on the findings so far of the EU polls observation mission in Bangladesh.

Iftekhar Chowdhury told journalists that he had been in discussions and correspondence with his EU counterpart, external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, for some months now about sending an observer mission from the EU.

"I am glad that that this has finally happened," he said.

The government and the EU were in disagreement over dispatch of the observation mission as the EU has never sent any mission to observe the polls held under emergency, and the government did not make it clear whether the year-end polls would take place under the state of emergency.

The EU urged the government to either lift or relax the emergency to ensure restoration of civil and political rights if it wanted to see a EU election observer mission here.

The government relaxed the emergency and has shown signs that it, at one stage, may be fully lifted for the election.

EC Head of the Delegation Dr Stefan Frowein was present in the meeting with Dr Iftekhar.