Kerry due today

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, will arrive in Dhaka on a nine-hour official visit starting from about 9am today.
Bangladesh, in the official talks, will give priority to trade, investment, cooperation in blue economy and deportation of condemned fugitive killers of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the US, a senior foreign ministry official said.
The US, on the other hand, said security, human rights, democracy, development and some global issues were on its agenda for discussion, according to the US Department of State.
There are ‘lots of offers’ on the table, including different kinds of assistance the US ‘is willing’ to provide to Bangladesh, the US ambassador, Marcia Bernicat, told reporters on Sunday.
The Bangladesh ambassador to Washington, Mohammad Ziauddin, who is a member of the Bangladesh delegation in the official talks, told New Age at the foreign ministry on Sunday, ‘security is definitely going to be a dominant issue during Kerry’s visit.’
The US secretary of state, he said, ‘only travels’ to a country about which ‘it has interest’ and Washington always ‘wants to engage’ with countries on counterterrorism and violent extremism.
On security, counterterrorism and violent extremism issues, Bangladesh is likely to convey its preparedness to accept only need-based assistance from the US.
When asked what message would be given on points of security, counterterrorism and violent extremism, another Bangladesh delegation member said, ‘Bangladesh is capable of taking care of itself through ensuring security for its people.’
A lot has been done after the tragic terrorist attack on a Gulshan café on July 1 and subsequent incidents.
Bangladesh will seek duty-free and quota-free access to the US market and repatriation of killers of the founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the country, said an official.
John Kerry will lead a 10-member delegation in the official talks. Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali will lead a 10-member Bangladesh delegation that includes commerce minister Tofail Ahmed, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque.
Trade between Bangladesh and the United States rose 8.5 per cent to almost $7 billion in 2015. Exports from Bangladesh accounted for $6 billion of the total, and 90 per cent of that was clothing.
The US accounted for a quarter of all of Bangladesh’s exports including textile and clothing products, shrimp, tea and golf club shafts, while it imports raw cotton, chemicals, machinery and equipment and pharmaceuticals.
The US investment in Bangladesh rose to about $2 billion in 2015 from $1.5 billion the year before, including an investment of more than $1 billion by the energy firm Chevron.
Law minister Anisul Huq recently said the government had located two out of six condemned fugitive killers of Mujib – Noor Chowdhury in Canada and AM Rashed Chowdhury in the USA.
Foreign minister Ali will receive Kerry at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on his arrival between 9am to 9.30am from Geneva by a special aircraft.
Kerry will visit Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital at about 11:30am.
He will call on the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, at the Prime Minister’s Office at 12pm.
He will reach the state guesthouse Padma at about 1:10pm and hold official talks with a Bangladesh delegation. Foreign minister Ali will host a working lunch at the same venue.
Kerry will visit a garment factory at Mirpur at about 3pm.
He will deliver a speech to young people and members of the civil society at the EMK Center in Dhanmondi from 4pm to 4:40pm.
Kerry will visit the residence of US ambassador Bernicat and the Chancery Complex of the US Embassy at about 5pm.
Leader of the opposition in parliament Roushan Ershad and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia are scheduled to separately call on Kerry at the US ambassador’s residence.
Kerry is scheduled to leave Dhaka at about 6.30pm for New Delhi. Foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque will see him off at the airport.
It will be Kerry’s first visit to Bangladesh. His predecessor Hillary Clinton visited Bangladesh in May, 2012.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net