The agreement will be in force for as many years and it can be renewed for another six years if the two governments agree, official sources said.

The approval came at the weekly regular meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, held ahead of schedule because of the Eid-ul-Azha, for which there will be a three-day national holiday starting today. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia chaired the meeting.

The agreement will be signed formally soon.

About 3,741 members of the armed forces will be sent for three years on deputation to train up the Kuwaiti army.

With the signing of the agreement, Bangladesh would greatly benefit financially and the image of the armed forces will be brightened further, the sources said.

The three-year contract of the members of the armed forces can be further extended on satisfactory performance and support from the Kuwaiti government. If that's not the case, another batch will take over from them.

The agreement provides for a liaison headquarters of Bangladesh Army in Kuwait, which will supervise, maintain and look after the appointment, extension, deputation and all other aspects of the defence agreement.

Salary, allowance and other admissible facilities of the trainers have also been spelt out in the agreement although these could not be known immediately. Sources said the salaries and benefits are attractive and in line with the Kuwaiti and international pay structure.

The Kuwaiti authorities will provide the armed forces members with residence and education allowances for their children.

Each member will enjoy a total of 30 to 40 days' leave during the first three years.

Cabinet sources said the armed forces have been widely acclaimed by the UN and US-led allied forces during the peacekeeping operation after the 1991 Gulf War and also for their role to keep peace in and rebuild war-ravaged nations around the globe.

Ministers present at the meeting said that the agreement is a great achievement for Bangladesh and hoped the armed forces members would be able to show their excellence during their stay in Kuwait.

The cabinet also approved a five-year "Bangladesh-Egypt Science and Technological Agreement". This agreement is expected to be signed during Khaleda's upcoming visit to Egypt, official sources said.

Under the agreement, both countries will share expertise and experiences in the field of IT and expand scientific cooperation.

Besides, the cabinet has approved 'further amendment to Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order 1971 (President's Order No. 46 of 1972)'. The amendment provides that a member of the Bar Council must have to inform it at least 60 days ahead of the polls about the venue from where he/she will cast vote.

Previously, a lawyer could be a member of any bar and cast vote anywhere in the country.

Meanwhile, the cabinet yesterday sent back the proposal of the BIMST-EC (Bangladesh India Myanmar Sri Lanka Thailand-Economic Cooperation) agreement for further scrutiny.

The proposal seeks form a free trade region to enhance economic cooperation among the member states.

Sources said the proposal was prepared by the officials at the deputy secretary-level and the cabinet asked for further improvement in the draft agreement to be prepared by secretary-level officials.

Cabinet members and the state ministers in charge of different relevant ministries attended the meeting. Cabinet Secretary Sa'adat Husain and secretaries concerned were also present.