Security at international airports in the country have been beefed up on the eve of Rumsfeld's nearly 14- hour visit while State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzoman Babar sat with heads of security agencies on Tuesday to review the steps being taken, sources said.

A US security team is also expected to arrive in the capital today to look into the security situation.

Officials of the US embassy met with foreign ministry officials yesterday afternoon to discuss the itinerary of Rumsfeld's visit.

The US secretary is coming to Bangladesh as part a three-nation tour that will also take him to Malaysia and Singapore. He will be accompanied by a 40-member media team besides officials, BSS reports.

Rumsfeld's visit is the second by a top US official after Secretary of State Colin Powell made a stopover in Dhaka in June last year.

Rumsfeld is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan.

He will hold a press conference later.

His visit to Malaysia and Bangladesh is viewed as part of the latest US efforts to shore up support from the Muslim-majority nations to send troops to Iraq under UN umbrella after the interim Iraqi government takes over on June 30.

In Singapore, Rumsfeld is set to present the keynote speech at the Asia Security Conference, reports a Singapore daily.

Meanwhile, the US secretary's visit to Dhaka coincides with the hartal on Saturday called separately by the main opposition Awami League (AL) and its labour wing Jatiya Sramik League.

But the AL yesterday announced Rumsfeld's visit be out of the purview of the 24-hour hartal from Saturday morning.

"The hartal is aimed to protest misdeeds and misrule of the government, not Rumsfeld's visit. His visit will be out of the purview hartal," Obaidul Kader, AL joint general secretary, told The Daily Star last night.

" Though his (RUmsfeld's) visit is yet to be confirmed, We don't want to hamper activities of a foreign guest," he said.

Obaidul Kader however ruled out any possibility of curtailing the hartal period as, he said, the party and its front organisations have taken all preparations to make the hartal a success.

Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) will hold a rally at Muktangon tomorrow protesting Rumsfeld's visit.