KALADAN NEWS

Dated- 19th March 2003.

BANGLADESH PRIMINISTER LEAVES FOR BURMA TODAY:

ECONOMICS TIES WITH BURMA TO EXPEND.

Chittagong, 19th March: Prime Minister Begum Khaleda

Zia leaves Dhaka for Rangoon today for a three- day

official visit to Burmam at the invitation of SPDC

Chairman and Prime Minister Senior General Than Shwe,

the Daily star said.

The Prime Minister will lead a 50 member delegation

that includes FM, Communication Minister, Commerce

Minister and senior officials of the government, it

further added.

A 16 member business delegation and a cultural team

will also accompany the prime minister. A second

Bangladesh Trade Fair in Burma will be opened by Prime

Minister Khaleda Zia. Nearly 100 stalls will display

Bangladesh’s merchandise while a 166 member- strong

cultural troupe project the country’s diversity during

the four- day showoff, beginning March 20. Some 200

people would also go to run stalls at the fair, the

newspaper said.

The plethora of products to be displayed in the stalls

includes pharmaceuticals, ceramics, melamine, light

engineering, electrical, toiletries and construction

materials.

Coastal shipping links between Bangladesh and Burma

will top agenda when Prime Minister Khaleda Zia talks

with her Burma counterpart today at Rangoon. A coastal

shipping deal is likely to be signed linking

Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, and Teknaf to the Burma Ports

of Rangoon, Akyab and Maungdaw, official source said.

Apart from strengthening economic cooperation,

repatriation of Rohingya refugees will also come up

during the talks. “We expect Burma to take its

nationals (Rohingyas) as soon as possible and this is

also necessary to keep peace on the other,” said FM

yesterday.

He is hopeful that the issue would be resolved as two

nations vowed to strengthen bilateral relations.

Earlier, Burma said the refugees would be taken back

only after a verification of their identity.

During the Prime Minister’s visit, Bangladesh and

Burma will set up a joint trade commission headed by

commerce ministers of the two countries. A Foreign

Ministerial joint commission will also set up to

oversee bilateral relations, Foreign office source

said.

The two neighbors are expected to pen agreements to

introduce “accounts trade” that would initiate two way

transactions of goods without the need for cash

payment, the Daily Star reported.

“Implementation of the agreements will substantially

increase bilateral trade, while the current informal

trade will be gradually turned into formal trade,”

Commerce Minister of Bangladesh said.  

Establishing road link between Chittagong and Rangoon

and improved bilateral trade ties are likely to

dominate the formal talks of the two Prime Ministers.

Editor

Kaladan Press Network