DHAKA: Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her “guts and determination” to form and hold trials at the International Crimes Tribunals, Bangladesh (ICT-BD).

The veteran diplomat recounted memories of the deliberations in the UN Security Council during Bangladesh’s War of Liberation.

The secretary general said he was following the developments with the ICT-BD trials quite closely, and assured the Bangladesh State Minister that the Arab League would always stand by the side of justice.

The appraisal came from a meeting between Shahriar Alam, MP, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Arab League Secretary General and the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo Tuesday.

In the parley, Arab League Secretary General also apprised the Bangladesh State Minister about the ongoing diplomatic initiatives to resolve the critical issues of Palestine and Syria.

He appreciated Bangladesh’s principled support to the Palestinian issue and urged Bangladesh to play its active role in the UN and other international fora in support of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for an independent and sovereign State.

In the meeting, Bangladesh wished to further deepen its relations with brotherly Arab countries to realize its own development potentials.

Shahriar Alam said, “We also need the support and understanding for the challenges we face, including the ones with climate change, the issue of Myanmar refugees and false propaganda by certain quarters about the ongoing trials of those accused of committing crimes against humanity in 1971.”

BDST: 1634 HRS, MAR 12, 2014