AL sees change of govt by next April

"The prevailing situation is known to all and it will be good for people if the coalition quits as early as possible," AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said at a press briefing, the latest in a series timed to coincide with the alliance's celebrations of two years in office.

Jalil said the AL would wrap up party councils of different tiers by December-January and vowed an anti-government movement, counting law and order downslide, price spike of essentials and unrest in society as the signs of the government's failure to run the state.

"Bangladesh has gradually become friendless in the international arena because of the failure of the coalition and lack of diplomatic professionalism," Abdus Samad Azad, AL presidium member and former foreign minister, said at the same press conference, designed to expose what he said was wrong foreign policy of the government.

If the coalition continues to rule, Bangladesh will be pegged as a 'failed state', he cautioned.

"Bangladesh signed a defence treaty with China during Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's visit early this year -- at a time when it has misunderstanding with India, centring on several issues. It exposed diplomatic bankruptcy of the government."

Recalling former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Beijing in 1996, the senior AL leader viewed it as paving the way for greater cooperation and Chinese investment in Bangladesh.

The AL leader fired a broadside at the government for its policy to strengthen relations with eastern countries, saying such efforts would not yield any benefit for Bangladesh.

The government whisked the country from its stance to achieve highest economic benefit through regional cooperation, initiated by the previous AL government, he said.

"Although there is some development in bilateral relations with some southeast countries, it isolated Bangladesh from others," Samad Azad said, adding all efforts in foreign policy of the government are confined to the "look east policy".

"The previous Awami League government stressed South Asia in its foreign policy and took initiatives to strengthen relations with India," Samad Azad said.

But the coalition failed to minimise the huge trade deficit with India and resolve disputes on sharing water of 54 international rivers, he said.

On New Delhi's planned river-link project, the AL leader said the project would badly affect Bangladesh, but the government emphasised raising the issue at international forums instead of a bilateral solution.

Samad Azad said the government did not strive for reactivating the D-8, constituted with eight Muslim countries including Bangladesh to accelerate member-state development, adding: "There is no move by the foreign ministry with the BIMSTEC also."

On inclusion of Bangladesh on the US list of terror-risk nations, he said the government was trying to find a solace in Bangladesh's identity as a liberal Muslim democratic state but could not exclude Bangladesh from the list.

He accused the government of playing double standard on the Iraq crisis: the coalition always speaks for Islam, but it kept silent on the killing of innocent Iraqi Muslims.

The AL wants a resolution to the Iraq crisis through the United Nations, ensuring sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, the former foreign minister said. He also favoured sending Bangladeshi troops only under the UN peacekeeping mission.

On the post of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) secretary general, he said the bright prospect of Bangladesh in getting the job wore out because of nomination of a person with a murky past.

Presidium member Kazi Zafrullah, joint secretaries Obaidul Kader, Syed Ashraful Islam and Mukul Bose, International Affairs Secretary Syed Abul Hossain, organising secretaries Abdul Mannan, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Akhtaruzzaman, Abdur Rahman, Ahsim Kumar Ukil and lawmaker Sohel Taj were present.