McCain to visit Bangladesh to assess pre-election situation

Dhaka: Defeated US presidential senator John McCain will be among three senior US senators who will visit Bangladesh early next month for talks with leaders ahead of a long-delayed vote, a US official said on Monday.

Senators Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham and McCain will meet officials from the interim government that has promised to hold a free, fair and credible election on December 29.

The visit is part of a broader regional trip, US embassy spokesman Harvey Sernovitz said, without giving further details.

"They will discuss bilateral issues with the government and civil society leaders (and) ... may also meet top politicians and monitor pre-election conditions in Bangladesh," Sernovitz said.