Hillary's Visit
Joint document likely, says FM
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday said Dhaka and Washington are expected to sign a joint document during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's two-day visit here tomorrow.
The document styled 'Bangladesh-US Partnership Dialogue' will work as a platform to discuss full range of bilateral issues and cooperation for future development, she told a press conference at the foreign ministry.
Elaborating the United States' proposed dialogue, Dipu Moni said it will have two tiers. The first one will be jointly headed by the foreign secretary of Bangladesh and the under secretary of the US State Department and they will meet every year.
“This tier will function as foreign secretary level consultations, an official mechanism that Bangladesh has with different countries,” she said, adding “Foreign minister of Bangladesh and the US secretary of state will head the second political-level tier.”
Dipu Moni said at the official talks, Dhaka will ask for duty-free and quota free access of readymade garments to US market, Bangladesh's inclusion in the Millennium Challenge Account and repatriation of Bangabandhu's convicted killer Rashed Chowdhury, who is hiding in the US.
PRANAB'S VISIT
Talking about Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit here tomorrow, Dipu Moni told reporters he will come basically to attend the closing ceremony of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
During his visit, Pranab Mukherjee will call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, she said adding that he will also hold a meeting with her where they will discuss a range of bilateral issues especially expediting the implementation of decisions taken during Hasina's visit to India in January 2010 and Manmohan's visit to Dhaka in September 2011.
ILIAS ALI ISSUE
At the press conference, Dipu Moni said the government is not worried about the human rights situation in the country.
Replying to a question about rights bodies' concern over the disappearances of Ilias Ali, Dipu Moni said, “Being a political leader, the missing incident of Ilias Ali is a matter of concern, and of course, we want its solution.”
On a question about the proposal of forming a special commission by the Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to find out Ilias Ali, the foreign minister said the proposal can be reviewed.
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