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Former US president Jimmy Carter was accorded a red-carpet reception on his arrival in Dhaka on Thursday for a three-day visit to assess the political climate in Bangladesh in the run-up to the country's general election.
He was received by Barrister Ishtiaq Ahmed, adviser to the law ministry in the caretaker government, and Acting Foreign Secretary Mohsin Ali.
Political observers feel that Carter's visit demonstrates the support of the international community for a fair and peaceful election in Bangladesh.
His visit is part of non-governmental initiatives by global organisations to monitor the upcoming parliamentary election, likely to be held in October.
Carter was scheduled to meet chief adviser Latifur Rahman on Thursday. He was also scheduled to have a working lunch with Rahman to which Awami League president and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her rival, Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief and former premier Khaleda Zia, were invited.
Carter will also meet the country's chief election commissioner and call on President Shahabuddin Ahmed, who will also host a dinner in his honour.
Carter heads a five-member international delegation organised by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute and the Atlanta-based Carter Centre. The other four members of the delegation are already in the capital.
Earlier, Rahman appealed for international assistance to hold a fair election, the dates of which are to be announced next week. He told foreign diplomats based in Dhaka on Wednesday that Bangladesh was seeking cooperation from the rest of the world in holding the polls.
"I expect the partnership and support of your governments and organizations to help us meet the challenges of carrying Bangladesh forward into the new millennium," he said.
Rahman, who took over on July 15 after Parliament was dissolved on the completion of its full five-year term, is reshuffling the administration from top to bottom in a bid to hold a clean election.
Indo-Asian News Service
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