Dhaka wants market access, return of Mujib killers

The United States would consider Bangladesh’s request for duty-free and quota-free access for Bangladeshi products to the US market, US secretary of state John Kerry said in Dhaka on Monday.
The United Sates was also reviewing the scopes of extradition of the condemned fugitive killers of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur, he said.
Kerry also expressed the US interest in working with intelligence agencies in Bangladesh and cooperate Bangladesh in sharing information and best practices in containing terrorism and countering violent extremism.
‘We talked about security in very broad frame,’ John Kerry said replying to a query after speaking to a select group of civil society members, labour leaders and journalists in Dhaka.
Sharing information and best practices and expertise on dealing with terror financing and taking preventive measures and maintaining transparency and accountability ‘are most important weapons’ to combat terrorism, he said, adding that the United States would work with Bangladesh in this areas.
Kerry, in his meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her office, expressed the US interest in working closely with intelligence agencies of Bangladesh to fight terrorism, prime minister’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim told reporters, according to the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.
Hasina said her government required information from the United States in nabbing the extremists since the United States had technological advancement. ‘It would help arrest the terrorists and there should be reciprocity or two way traffic in this regard,’ she said.

From left, The United States secretary of state John Kerry shakes hands with prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka. — New Age photo

AS the prime minister requested the United States ‘to extradite Bangabandhu’s killers’ living in the country, Kerry said he ‘understands’ the concern of Hasina.
‘The issue [of extradition] is under review by the US government,’ the press secretary quoted Kerry as telling Hasina.
Law minister Anisul Huq recently said that the government had located two out of six condemned fugitive killers of Mujib – Noor Chowdhury in Canada and AM Rashed Chowdhury in the United States.
As the prime minister wanted to know the source of money of the terrorist outfit Islamic State, Kerry said the group was earning money by selling oil from the fields that it captured and imposing levy on general people in IS-dominated regions.
Sheikh Hasina also described Bangladesh’s success in the fields of education, healthcare and food security, etc.
In a tweet after the meeting with the prime minister, Kerry said that Bangladesh ‘has an extraordinary development story. [I was] pleased to meet prime minister Sheikh Hasina.’
Kerry led the US delegation in the official talks with the Bangladesh side at the state guest house Padma.
In the talks, Bangladesh ‘strongly’ made a pitch for duty-free and quota-free access for Bangladeshi products to the US market and for the extradition of the condemned fugitive killers of Sheikh Mujib, while the United States was pursuing for cooperation between the two countries on security issues and the fight against violent extremism, said officials present in the talks.
In a tweet after the official talks, Kerry said, ‘Important discussions today in Bangladesh incl. on security issues & our strong support in fighting against violent extremism.’
He also emphasised the importance of upholding human rights and democratic values as effective measures in counterterrorism and countering violent extremism efforts, the US Department of State said in a release.
Foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali, who led the Bangladesh delegation in the talks, said at a briefing that it was a ‘fruitful discussion.’
Asked if the issue of duty- and quota-free access of Bangladeshi products came up in the discussion, the commerce minister, Tofail Ahmed, also a member of the Bangladesh delegation, said that Kerry ‘agreed to consider the request.’
Mahmood Ali also said that the issues of cooperation in combating ‘terrorism and militancy’ largely dominated the talks but he declined to elaborate the details immediately.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque and Bangladesh ambassador to Washington Mohammad Ziauddin, were, among others, present on the Bangladesh side in the talks.
In his first engagement on his arrival at about 10.15am on an eight-hour-long visit, Kerry went to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, which was the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at Dhanmondi in Dhaka.
Kerry paid a rich tribute to Sheikh Mujib and went around the museum to see the marks of August 15, 1975 assassination with deep attention and grief, BSS reported.
‘What a tragedy to have such brilliant and courageous leadership is taken from the people of Bangladesh in such a moment of violence and cowardice,’ Kerry wrote in the visitor’s book, ‘the United State is proud to be friend [of Bangladesh] and strong supporter of the fulfilment of his [Sheikh Mujib] vision. We look forward for growing and working together for peace and prosperity.’
Rezwan Siddique Bobby, son of Sheikh Mujib’s youngest daughter Sheikh, Rehana, received Kerry at the museum.
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 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 energy firm Chevron.
Foreign minister Ali received Kerry at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on his arrival from Geneva by a special aircraft. Kerry visited an apparel factory at Mirpur.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia called on Kerry at the US embassy at Baridhara. Leader of the opposition in parliament Raushan Ershad made a brief exchange with Kerry at EMK Centre at Dhanmondi.
The US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, and the US ambassador in Dhaka, Marcia Bernicat, accompanied Kerry in his programmes.
Kerry left Dhaka at about 6.00pm for New Delhi. Foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque saw him off at the airport. It was Kerry’s first visit to Bangladesh.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net