Opposition was never consulted in the past: FM

The last JEC meeting was held in New Delhi in March, 1999.

The JEC meeting will discuss ways for holding a summit-level meeting between the two close neighbours, Morshed said. He said mostly economic issues would dominate the agenda of the JEC meeting.

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Asked about the possibility of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's visit to India, he said she had been to India as prime minister. "We would expect Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to visit Dhaka during her (Khaleda) tenure as PM," Morshed added.

On the prospect for holding the SAARC summit, he said the SAARC standing committee meeting would be held in Kathmandu on July 9. It would brighten the prospect for holding the summit within this year, he said.

During the three-day official visit of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnaputri this month the two leaders are expected to explore new avenues of cooperation, Morshed said. Bangladesh can be a good place for Indonesian investments, the foreign minister observed.

On Awami League's opposition to the nomination of Salauddin Qader Chowdhury, Morshed said the opposition was never consulted in the past for such nomination.

He recalled the names of Doha and Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury who were nominated for the OIC post in the past.