June 03, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 28, 1429

DHAKA, June 2: The government of Bangladesh has requested foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka to refrain from making ‘comments that might be construed as interference in the country’s internal affairs’.

An official statement on Monday, signed by the director (media) of the external publicity wing, said that ‘some reports had been published in the local media recently citing statements by foreign missions that might be construed as interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh’.

The ministry of foreign affairs ‘hopes that any such statements that may give rise to such interpretations will be avoided’. Bangladesh came up with the statement a day after a spokesperson for the United States embassy in Dhaka on Sunday sought clarification from the caretaker government on reasons behind the recent arrest of political party leaders across the country.

Apart from seeking clarification on the arrest, US Ambassador in Dhaka James F. Moriarty on May 31 expressed Washington’s view on the latest political development, especially the caretaker government’s dialogue with the political parties towards the election. He had reportedly said: ‘There should be a national dialogue between the government and the political parties before December this year. There should be a compromise among the parties involved in the process and they should not be rigid on their position.’