The government of Bangladesh on Sunday turned down the move of the "Tuesday Group" to hold an international conference here on Bangladesh's next general election, saying the move is tantamount to "interference into domestic politics and would be counter-productive."

The government cleared its stance when Canadian High Commissioner David Sproule and Norwegian Ambassador Ms Aud Lise Nordheim met Foreign Affairs Advisor Reaz Rahman at his office and raised the matter of the group's intention, The New Nation reported Monday.

The Tuesday Group, a club of ambassadors and high commissioners of 14 countries - mostly from Europe and the United States - and representatives of two international organizations want to hold a conference on "International Electoral Best Practices" towards the end of this year or early next year to discuss the possible technical assistance to the Election Commission of Bangladesh.

The report quoted Reaz Rahman as saying that Bangladesh has already a good track record of ensuring free and fair elections thrice in the past which were acclaimed at home and abroad.

"This is the area where Bangladesh feels proud of. But if outsiders enter into domestic politics, sovereignty and jurisdiction of the people of Bangladesh do not exist," he observed.

The envoys tried to reassure that the Tuesday Group has no intention whatsoever to interfere into Bangladesh's internal politics. They have made the plan with good intention to provide "technical support" to the Election Commission to make the election free, fair and credible.

Reaz retorted that such high-level international conference on election matter suggests that the present government does not want free and fair elections, which is not true.

The four-party alliance government headed by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia came to power after winning the October 2001 general election. The government will complete its five-year term in October 2006.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2005)