Mr. Powel's agenda and ours

Mr. Powel's agenda during this visit may encompass a number of things. The Daily Star would like to put forward ours before Mr. Powel that will resonate the hopes and aspirations of our common mass. Before doing so we would like to say that we feel deeply gratified and honoured that Bangladesh's global image has been elevated lately by the US's showering of eulogy for the democratic achievements that our comparatively new nation has achieved so far.

Political freedom is often held back by economic debacles. We in Bangladesh know that very well. Hence we expect that the US would beef up its flow of investment, aid and grants to this friendly nation; allow quota free access to the export of Bangladeshi garments to the US (a facility the US had already extended to many African and Caribbean nations); remove the name of Bangladesh from the infamous category 1V immigration stratification (necessitating registration of Bangladeshi non- immigrants); and allow more students, entrepreneurs and other types of visitors to the US by easing the existing visa processing rigidities.

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The road toward a lasting diplomatic partnership is paved with multi-layered avenues of give and take. As the only other Muslim majority country aside Turkey and Malaysia- with a functional democracy and a laissez faire economic model, Bangladesh has a lot to reciprocate with the US's genuine intent to restore the privileges that Bangladesh has had enjoyed prior to the 9/ 11 incidents of terrorism in the US.

The US's proposition to co-opt the services of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers in Iraq is undoubtedly a welcome gesture. But Bangladesh would prefer to render such a service within the mandate of the UN, as it has always done in the past. With regard to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the US is expected to facilitate Bangladesh's participation as a genuine partner in the Iraqi reconstruction. Some of our companies have extensive experience and expertise to make the Iraqi reconstruction story a successful one.

Mr. Powel must also be cognizant that, we in Bangladesh take a principal stand against any form of terrorism as a means to political ends. This avowed policy of our nation has been demonstrated time and again through the unfettered cooperation we had extended to the US in its global war against terrorism. Nothing will be more gratifying for us than the US's acknowledgement of this genuine intent of ours.