HR, good governance main concerns of EP: BNP

A European Union envoy headed by Jane Lambert calls on Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia at her office at Gulshan on Thursday.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said on Thursday that European Parliament’s main concern regarding Bangladesh was human rights and good governance.
He said, ‘The EU has regularly been monitoring Bangladesh’s situation and their key concerns are human rights and good governance.’
Moyeen said the government has a role to strengthen trade and commercial relations with the EU. But, such a government cannot not play strong role until it becomes a truly representative government.
Moyeen said development could not be sustainable in absence of a democracy.
A nine-member delegation of the European Parliament led by member of parliament Jean Lambert called on Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia and discussed current political, social, economic and law and order situation in the country.
The meeting was held at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office and lasted about an hour.
After the meeting BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan briefed reporters.
EU delegation, however, did not brief journalists.
Moyeen said western development partners are accountable to its people for donating their taxpayers’ money to any country. Therefore, the donor countries wanted to know how their money was being spent here.
Asked whether they discussed about national elections, Moyeen said BNP believes in peaceful transfer of power through elections and to that end, holding of a fair and neutral election is essential.
While dwelling on human rights situation, Moyeen said that BNP conveyed the delegation that the government was issuing threats to opposition by administrative intimidation and that the opposition leaders and activists were being killed and becoming victims of enforced disappearances.
BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Sabih Uddin Ahmed were present in the meeting.