DHAKA: US Ambassador to Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat expressed concerns over political activities in diplomatic zone at Gulshan-Baridhara in the city, said sources closed to the meeting.
The newly appointed envoy raised the security issue when she held a meeting with state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam at the city’s Secretariat on Monday.
Bernicat also informed the minister that a bomb was also hurled at a vehicle of US embassy from a political program last week.
Terming the causalities due to ongoing violence ‘painful’, Bernicat told the minster that she is deeply shocked at these incidents.
She also expressed her interest to know about government step to prevent the violence.
After an hour-long meeting with the minister, Bernicat told the journalists that the relations between the US and Bangladesh are so broad that there are lot of things to talk about.
"We had a very useful conversation," she the US envoy.
Later, the foreign ministry said, at the meeting, Shahriar told Bernicat that the US-Bangladesh relation is standing on a strong base through the discussions on different issues including regular annual dialogue, partnership, security and military dialogues, and Ticfa council meetings.
The minister also presented the issues of repatriation of a self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and another convicted war criminal Asrafuzzaman Khan.
Shahriar called for immediate signing of the proposed bilateral extradition treaty to deport criminals of both countries in each other's captivity.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office is, however, located near several other countries’ embassies in the city.
As the political situations have become volatile, western countries’ citizens have been advised to avoid the road, adjacent to Khaleda’s office.
According to diplomatic rules, no political activities can be performed in the diplomatic zone.
Bernicat arrived in Dhaka on January 25, presented her credentials to President M Abdul Hamid On February 4.
BDST: 0932 HRS, FEB 10, 2015
