US embassy cable - 05DHAKA1975

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001975 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CORRECTED COPY--TEXT ADDED 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2015 
TAGS: MARR, MASS, PREL, PTER, PGOV, BG 
SUBJECT: ADMIRAL FALLON'S VISIT TO BANGLADESH 
 
 
Classified By: P/E Counselor D.C. McCullough, reason para 1.4 b, d. 
 
 1.  (U)  Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Pacific 
Command, visited Bangladesh 16-17 April 2005. During the 
visit he had the opportunity to meet with Foreign Minister 
Morshed Khan; Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr. 
Kamal Uddin Siddique; Chief of Army Staff, LTG Hasan Mashhud 
Chowdhury; and Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces 
Division, MG A I M Reza Noor. 
 
2.  (C)  Foreign Minister Morshed Khan welcomed close 
cooperation with U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) since 9/11 and 
expressed his commitment to working with the U.S. to 
institutionalize Democracy in Bangladesh and combat 
terrorism. He emphasized that PACOM engagement has supported 
Bangladesh capacity building and has enabled it to become one 
the largest UN troop contributors. During the meeting, the 
Foreign Minister observed that trafficking in weapons, drugs 
and people from Burma had increased as Thailand has 
effectively increased enforcement along its border. 
 
3.  (C)  The Foreign Minister described Bangladesh,s role in 
the region as a &voice of moderation8 that is committed to 
de-nuclearization of South Asia. He then complained about 
India,s heavy role in the region, especially the unfair 
negative picture India paints about extremism in Bangladesh 
and for their blocking progress on free trade in the South 
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He stated 
that Bangladesh welcomed further support and discussion on 
civic action capacity building and support for counter 
terrorism, stating that the Bangladesh Government took the 
extremist threat very seriously and was taking concrete steps 
to curb it. 
 
4.  (C)  Dr. Kamal Siddique, Principal Secretary to the Prime 
Minister, discounted the influence of extremist Islam in 
Bangladesh and claimed that Bangladeshis were &religious, 
but hate extremists.8 He stated that government efforts to 
control the madrassas were being supported by international 
donors and that further efforts to change the economic and 
social conditions that support terrorists had to be 
implemented. Dr. Siddique also stated that even though the 
Intelligence Services were sharing information with the U.S., 
they still lacked adequate training and equipment, and were 
weak and ineffective. He expressed a desire for deeper 
cooperation and sharing between Bangladesh and the U.S. He 
then stated that the Prime Minister wants to take tougher 
measures to curb extremism and improve the economy, but is 
going to wait until after the election in 2007 to implement 
the more &unpleasant actions.8 As an example, he stated 
that the government planned on divesting 51% of the national 
airline, Biman, if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won 
the next election. Admiral Fallon stated to Dr. Siddiqui that 
the widespread corruption and lack of trust in the government 
will make Bangladesh look favorable to terrorist groups and 
that Bangladesh should not take its history of peaceful Islam 
for granted. Dr. Siddique acknowledged that Admiral was 
&speaking as a friend,8 and stated he would convey his 
concerns to the Prime Minister. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Meetings with the Chief of Army Staff and 
Principal Staff officer focused on specific military 
requirements including: simulator training equipment for the 
Army, the importance of UN participation and the shortage of 
armored personnel carriers (APC) that has hampered 
Bangladesh,s ability to participate in UN missions. The Army 
Chief highlighted the importance of Army Troops at polling 
places during elections to ensure free and fair elections and 
underscored their role in nation-building and civic action. 
 
Comment: 
 
6.  (C)  Press reporting on the visit was accurate and 
indicates that Admiral Fallon,s core message was received by 
the Bangladesh Government. Follow-up commentary in the press 
is mixed and reflects the two prevailing schools of thought 
in Bangladesh - that there is no terrorism problem, or that 
the country is on the brink. 
 
7.  (U)  Admiral Fallon cleared this message. 
CHAMMAS