Trade Act
US senator assures FM of working together
Unb, Dhaka
US Senator Lincoln D Chafee, chairman of the Senate Sub-committee for Near East and South Asia of the Foreign Relations Committee, has assured Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan of working together on the TRADE Act. "I am a supporter of free trade," the senator said when Morshed Khan met him at his Senate office in Washington DC on Thursday. The bill, titled TRADE Act of 2005 that proposes duty-free access for textile and other products from 14 Asia-Pacific LDCs, including Bangladesh, has recently received the support of a number of key senators, making its prospects bright. Stressing the need for duty-free access for textile products from Bangladesh, the foreign minister said, "Such access is not only important for the economy of Bangladesh, but also crucial for sustaining empowerment of women as readymade garment industry employs over 1.5 million female workers." The foreign minister reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to fighting extremism in all its forms. He said the government is seriously dealing with the August 17 bomb blasts, and has already arrested a large number of people involved in the incident. Khan assured Senator Chafee of the government's sincerity in bringing to justice the perpetrators of all political violence, including those responsible for the killing of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria.
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