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Dhaka-Washington talks

Defence cooperation to figure prominently

Star Report
The issue of defence co-operation between Dhaka and Washington will figure prominently during United States President Bill Clinton's visit to Bangladesh on March 20.
The report on Humanitarian Assistance Need Assessment (HANA) and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which Dhaka rejected earlier, will also be discussed, said reliable sources.
Discussions between Clinton and Hasina will also focus on training programmes for the Bangladesh military' and Joint military exercises between the two countries.
The US side is expected to insist on Bangladesh in purchasing more military hardware from Washington. There has been considerable concern in the US side over Dhaka’s earlier rejection of SOFA and fiurchase of military equipment rom Russia and China. There has also been considerable increase in equipment purchase from India in recent times, informed sources said.
Meanwhile, the itinerary of U.S. President
Bill Clinton's visit to
Bangladesh Is yet to be finalised with" only a week lefl for (he visit, foreign ministry officials said yesterday.
“We hope that you will be able to know something positive tomorrow (Monday!/ said Hossain Komol, DG. EP. after reporters were kept waiting for more than an hour by the foreign secretary in the visitors' room.
Komol faced a barrage of questions about Clinton s visit, including If the foreign ministry wanted to keep the visit low profile since no substantive briefing on the trip had been held as yet.
"The" agenda of bilateral talks, the possible itinerary and the thrust of the visit to Bangladesh have still not been focused by the officials of the ministry who are avoiding the media. " complained a reporter.
Newsmen also complained that lack of policy planning and scanty and disorganised media briefing were also depriving Bangladesh from deriving mileage offered by the visit to Dhaka for the first time by a US president. Two other neigh-
bouring countries arc generating global publicity as their governments are keeping their press adequately informed
Foreign ministry officials also failed to prepare a media guideline for foreign reporters and made no accreditation procedures mandatory in a host country for visiting newsmen.
Some reporters also wanted to know if It was true that many visitors were coming here without proper visa.
Sources said huge equipment were being brought into the country, but no Inventory was being provided to the government agencies concerned.
The DG. EP. said he would convey the queries to the foreign secretary and try to arrange a press briefing today.
He informed that the US advance teams have visited all the sites proposed by Dhaka for Inclusion in Clinton s itinerary.
Some of the team members led by US ambassador John C. Holzman will be holding meetings with foreign ministry officials today in an effort to "crystallise the itinerary." the foreign ministry spokesman said.