By IANS,
Dhaka/Washington : The US Congress has urged President George W. Bush to provide a hefty assistance package to Bangladesh after it conducts a credible election in December.
In a country-specific resolution passed Thursday, which the Dhaka media termed as the first time ever, the Congress asked the US president to make democratic transition in Bangladesh a “high priority of United States foreign policy”.
The House of Representatives made the request in its resolution HR 1402 titled “Supporting a transition to democracy through free, fair, credible, peaceful, and transparent elections in Bangladesh”, reported the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency.
The resolution was moved in the influential Committee on Foreign Affairs with the co-sponsorship of as many as 41 Congressmen. Congressman Joseph Crowley, who is also co-chair of Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, sponsored the resolution.
The resolution came during Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed’s visit to the UN.
Ahmed, who performs the prime ministerial functions in the caretaker government, welcomed the resolution and renewed his pledge to hold credible polls, The Daily Star said Friday.
Parliamentary elections were called off amidst political turmoil in January last year and the military-backed caretaker government now in office has committed to holding them on Dec 18.