DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is urging the government of Bangladesh not to do anything that could undermine the effectiveness of the internationally acclaimed Grameen Bank micro-lender.

Clinton told a town hall audience in the Bangladeshi capital on Sunday that the pioneering bank founded by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus is a "tremendous" model for the developing world and that its structure should not be tinkered with. A search for a new bank chief is now underway since the government ousted Yunus last year.

Clinton is a personal friend of Yunus and met with him for about 45 minutes before the town hall. She met on Saturday with Bangladesh's feuding prime minister and main opposition leader.