Top US and Bangladeshi diplomats have met in Washington for talks about political uncertainty in the South Asian nation.
Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain met at the State Department with Richard Boucher, the United States' senior diplomat assigned to South Asian affairs.
A Bangladeshi statement issued after the talks said Boucher pledged US support for efforts to fight political corruption, and added the hope that due process of law will be respected at all times.
The visiting envoy briefed Boucher on preparations for future elections, following cancellation of a nationwide vote in January after military authorities took power in Dhaka.
Boucher said the United States wants free and fair elections at the earliest date, and hopes that Bangladeshi authorities will soon issue a more detailed schedule of preparations and plans for a vote.
In a letter earlier this week to the head of the caretaker government in Dhaka, 15 influential US lawmakers expressed concern about the ongoing state of emergency and ban on all political activity.
The interim government set up by the Bangladeshi army has been arresting senior politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in a crackdown on corruption since January.
Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain met at the State Department with Richard Boucher, the United States' senior diplomat assigned to South Asian affairs.
A Bangladeshi statement issued after the talks said Boucher pledged US support for efforts to fight political corruption, and added the hope that due process of law will be respected at all times.
The visiting envoy briefed Boucher on preparations for future elections, following cancellation of a nationwide vote in January after military authorities took power in Dhaka.
Boucher said the United States wants free and fair elections at the earliest date, and hopes that Bangladeshi authorities will soon issue a more detailed schedule of preparations and plans for a vote.
In a letter earlier this week to the head of the caretaker government in Dhaka, 15 influential US lawmakers expressed concern about the ongoing state of emergency and ban on all political activity.
The interim government set up by the Bangladeshi army has been arresting senior politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in a crackdown on corruption since January.