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ASIAN HIGHWAY

Dhaka to ask 3 nations to back change to route

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Bangladesh will approach China, Thailand and Myanmar for proposing an amendment to the Asian Highway route going through its territory on its behalf in the working group meeting of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
The government will solicit the three friendly nations, which have already ratified the Asian Highway agreement, to propose declaring the Dhaka-Yangon route via Teknaf as the number one Asian Highway route, an inter-ministerial meeting at the communication ministry decided yesterday.
As Bangladesh is yet to sign the agreement, it wants a third country to place the proposal at the working group meeting of ESCAP in Bangkok in the second week of December, meeting sources said.
“We are not ready to sign any agreement giving transit to India,” Communications Minister Nazmul Huda, who chaired the meeting, told reporters after the meeting.
Asked if Bangladesh will remain out of the Asian Highway Network by not ratifying the agreement, the communications minister said, “I am not in a position to discuss the matter right now as we still have time to ratify the agreement.”
Huda said he hopes that the ESCAP will consider Bangladesh's proposal and the member countries will agree to bring in the amendment.
The Dhaka-Yangon road will herald “a new horizon of opportunity for economic development” in Bangladesh, he said.
The meeting discussed various aspects of the agreement and decided to take “another chance” to bring in amendment to the route before officially joining the giant Asian network.
December 31 this year has been set the deadline for ratifying the UNESCAP agreement on the giant road network connecting 42 Asian countries with Europe.
So far, two major roads in Bangladesh--Tamabil-Benapole and Tamabil-Banglabandha, both via Dhaka--have been proposed as Asian Highway. Bangladesh also wants the Dhaka-Teknaf-Yangon route to be included in the Asian Highway, which needs an amendment to the route map.
Bangladesh and Myanmar also agreed to establish a direct road link between Dhaka and Yangon.
Communications Secretary Shafiqul Islam, Economic Relation Division Secretary Ismail Zabihullah, representatives from home, foreign and planning ministries, and high officials of the Roads and Highways Department were present at the meeting.