US-India ties won't hurt Bangladesh: Envoy
US Ambassador in Dhaka James F Moriarty on Thursday said Washington's special engagement with New Delhi would not affect Bangladesh because of his country's "overlapping interests" involving the countries in South Asia.
"Whatever we do with India won't be done sacrificing Bangladesh . . . we have overlapping interests in many areas" involving Bangladesh, he told a discussion titled "Engaging South Asia: Obama's South Asia Policy" hosted by security think tank Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS).
"We have bilateral relations with other (South Asian) countries also."
Replying to a question on accommodation of Bangladesh interest in special US-India partnership, the envoy said the strategic ties between his country and New Delhi would rather benefit Dhaka.
"India will be less threatening to its neighbours" due to Washington's overlapping interests" involving the countries in the region, he said.
Moriarty further added that Washington's engagement in the region was led by its own interests, "not to serve anybody else" while it was common in many areas including democracy, economy and stability and security.
Foreign relations experts, foreign diplomats particularly from India and Pakistan, senior defence and security analysts and officials and media men joined the dialogue at BRAK Inn auditorium here.
Replaying to another question, the envoy suggested Dhaka to figure out the Indian intentions on bilateral disputes and resolve the issues' through enhanced engagements while an "US engagement in this regard will only complicate the situation".
"You should never say 'never' (about resolving the problem). What cannot be solved today can be solved tomorrow . . . Pakistan and India too made progress" in resolving their bilateral water problems, he said.
Moriarty said beyond a 3D (democracy, development and denial to terrorism) basis of US-Bangladesh relations, the new administration in Washington, now also incorporated issues including climate change and food security in its ties with Dhaka.
"Washington is encouraged with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's pledge to fight terrorism at home and regional level," the envoy said.
He said South Asia was now at the "centre stage" under the new policy of the Obama administration, which also revised its strategy for troubled Pakistan and Afghanistan exploring allies supports to contain terrorism while US engaged with India on the basis of common concerns like threats of terrorism.
The envoy, who confronted several critical questions from audience about the earlier "controversial" US policy for the region particularly in Pakistan, said its "disassociation" with Islamabad in 1990s after close engagements in 1980s provided "counterproductive" to creating scopes for spread of terrorist outfits.
BIPSS chief retired Major General ANM Muniruzzaman moderated the interaction when audience from other regional countries including Nepal and Pakistan also joined the dialogue through Internet.
"Ongoing shifts in geo-political, geo-strategic and geo- economic power turn the West to the East made the Asia-Pacific regions more important to the US today than ever before," Muniruzzaman said.
He said the region is going through a turbulent period" though all the countries here were now being governed by political governments.
Former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hassan Chowdhury, former minister Dr Moyeen Khan, former army chiefs retired lieutenant general Nooruddin Khan, retired lieutenant general Mahbubur Rahman, retired major general AMSA Amin, former ambassador Mohuiuddin Zahangir, former Dhaka University vice chancellor Professor Muniruzzaman Mia and several foreign diplomats and foreign relations students joined the discussion.
http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2009/06/26/news0107.htm
