Bangladesh to give India product-list of zero-duty access

Dhaka, Apr 8 (UNI) Bangladesh will hand over a list of its products for zero-duty access to the Indian market; Foreign Affairs Advisor Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said today.

He added that Dhaka took Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision on trade concession to SAARC LDCs as a welcome development.

At the just concluded 14th SAARC summit in New Delhi, the Indian Prime Minister announced zero-rated duty on the export products from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the SAARC realm before the end of this year. He also said New Delhi would reduce its sensitive list of products.

About the bilateral meeting between Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed and Manmohan Singh in Delhi, the Advisor said, ''India has sought a list from us and we will hand over it'' to accrue the benefit of India's decision to liberalize trade with the LDCs.

Briefing newsmen on the outcome of the Delhi summit and bilateral talks with SAARC leaders, Dr Chowdhury said among four LDCs, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives, Bangladesh is worst affected for non-tariff and para-tariff barriers.

Presently, Dhaka suffers a huge trade deficit of around 2.5 billion dollars with Delhi. Bangladesh has long been demanding withdrawal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to entry of its products to the Indian market to have the trade deficit cut down.

Terming the Fakhruddin-Manmohan meeting productive, Dr Chowdhury said they raised Bangladesh's three concerns -- undemarcation of over 6.5 km of boundary, sharing the Teesta River waters and India's Tipaimukh dam, and tariffs on Bangladeshi exportable.

He said India has assured that they would not divert common-river water at the Tipaimukh dam while remaining issues would be settled through existing mechanisms between the two neighbours.

The Advisor said a foreign secretary-level meeting between the two countries would be held soon to deal with the longstanding problems.

He denied a report broadcast by an Indian TV channel on anti-Indian insurgent camps in Bangladesh and reaffirmed that Bangladesh would not allow its territory to be used by any insurgents against India or any other country.

About the Chief Advisor's meeting with Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the Advisor said the problem of direct trade between Bangladesh and Nepal was discussed. He said both Dhaka and Kathmandu would request Delhi to help remove the obstacles to direct trade through Phulbari and Banglabandh.

''Given the friendly relations with India, we hope the problem will be solved,'' he said, adding that Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal could enhance their trade relations by resolving the problems.

About the CA's meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the Advisor said Islamabad would give wheat worth of 10 million dollars to Bangladesh as a token of friendship.

Direct air link between Dhaka and Colombo came up during the CA's meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Describing the outcome of the SAARC summit as superb, the Advisor said a number of Bangladesh's proposals relating to steps to deal with adverse impacts of climate change, telephone-tariff reduction and development of tourism were incorporated in the Delhi declaration.

SAARC Youth Camp will be held in Bangladesh this year. Besides, as per Bangladesh's proposal, the main campus of the South Asian University will be established in India while satellite campus will be set up in other member-countries, he said.

The Advisor said SAARC Council of Ministers would meet in New Delhi in November or December when they will review the project proposals to be submitted by ADB, the World Bank and UNDP to enhance cooperation in food security, energy, flood control and water management and environment.

UNI