Repatriation of Bangabandhu Killers
Bangladesh seeks US cooperation
Bangladesh has sought US assistance in repatriation of the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to bring them to justice, a foreign ministry press release said yesterday.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni made the request during a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State William J Burns on the sideline of the UN General Assembly in New York Monday.
She also sought US support for the war crimes trial issue while asserting that Bangladesh is committed to ensuring international standard and transparency in the trial process.
Yesterday's press release, however, did not mention anything about Burns' response on the above two issues.
Burns said relation with Bangladesh is one of the highest priorities for the US, and the US is closely working with Bangladesh in the areas of food security, climate change, counter-terrorism, health, and various development programmes.
The US official described Bangladesh as a model for the impressive progress it has been making in various socio-economic areas.
He also sought Bangladesh's assistance in the rebuilding process of Afghanistan. In response, Dipu Moni said Bangladesh has a close historical bond with Afghanistan, and it would remain engaged in the rebuilding of that country.
Terming the US as Bangladesh's largest export destination, the foreign minister called for ensuring duty-free and quota-free access of Bangladeshi RMGs in the US market.
During the meeting, Burns was accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has stressed the importance of the Istanbul Plan of Action in guiding the future negotiation process and demanded an “early harvest package” incorporating the issues of the LDCs by the WTO Council Meeting.
She said this while making statement at the annual ministerial level LDC Group Meeting on Monday (September 26) in New York on the sideline of the 66th UN General Assembly.
Dipu Moni reiterated her demand for easy and direct access of the “fast start finance” for adaptation for LDCs and for enhanced market access.
She sought support of all including the emerging developing countries for the LDCs to enable them to graduate into middle-income countries.
The Bangladesh foreign minister also had a meeting with Foreign Minister of Ukraine Kostyantyn Gryshchenko the same day (September 26). Both the foreign ministers stressed strengthening relations particularly in the fields of trade and commerce.
The Ukrainian foreign minister offered assistance in energy, transport, and aviation sectors while Dipu Moni sought the support of Ukraine for the candidature of Bangladesh for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council (2016-17).
They agreed to see if reciprocal arrangements could be done, said a foreign ministry press release.
In the Monday evening, the foreign minister also hosted a reception for the ministers and delegations from the countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
Speaking on the occasion, she expressed her hope that the upcoming ministerial meeting in Dhaka scheduled for October 14-15 would be a watershed to forge strong partnership to fight the challenges posed by climate change.
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