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Washington asked to drop Dhaka from terror-risk list

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Bangladesh yesterday objected to its inclusion in the US list of terrorrisk countries.
Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan sent a letter to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, requesting that Bangladeshis be dropped from the US special registration programme for vigilance against terrorism.
Besides, the foreign minister told reporters at his office that Bangladesh caucus in the US Congress has also written to Attorney General John Ashcroft seeking to revoke the US decision.
Chairman of Bangladesh caucus Joseph Crowley has wanted to know from Ashcroft the reasons behind the US move against Bangladesh, he informed.
Describing Bangladesh as a moderate and tolerant Muslim country committed to the fight against terrorism, Morshed said Dhaka would take all necessary efforts to have its name dropped from the list.
"I am going to take up the matter with (US) Secretary of State Colin Powell through diplomatic chan
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nels," he told reporters. "We are stunned by the decision and are trying to get feedback from other countries affected by the measure."
Meanwhile, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marry Ann Peters is expected to meet the foreign minister at his office this morning. A foreign ministry official said Peters might explain the US special registration programme and her country's attitude towards Bangladesh.
On Thursday when Dhaka disclosed the US decision, Peters in a press statement said: "Inclusion of Bangladesh in this programme does not in any way signal a change in the US view that Bangladesh has been and continues to be a staunch member of the international coalition against terrorism."
She explained that the goal of the National Security Entry Exit Registration System (NSEERS) is to better track all foreign visitors to the United States.
Calling again the US action "unfortunate", the foreign minister noted that Bangladesh is a country of peace and communal harmony. He hoped that the US government would soon withdraw
the restrictive measures.
"It's not an issue of the government but of the nation," Khan said, seeking cooperation of all political and social forces in overcoming the crisis.
To a question, the foreign minister said 'irresponsible statements' by a section of the opposition leaders and anti-Bangladesh 'media propaganda' might have prompted the US authorities to take the decision against Bangladesh.
He said the government is assessing the situation and trying to know through its missions what the other countries affected by the US decision are doing.
Along with Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Kuwait were included on a new list of countries whose nationals will be subjected to greater scrutiny.
Nationals of 20 other countries were earlier listed, all of them predominantly Muslim except North Korea.
The rules require men from these countries who are in the United States without permanent residency status to be photographed, questioned and fingerprinted by the authorities.