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Examine the benefits from transit before signing deal

Speakers urge govt at seminar

Star Business Report
The government should at first analyse the benefits the country may get from allowing transit to India before signing any deal, speakers said at a seminar in Dhaka yesterday.
They said the government should be well prepared for multilateral talks and strengthen its bargaining capacity while going for any negotiation.
The seminar on Strengthening Cooperation between Bangladesh and India: Connectivity through TYade, lYansit and Other Issues' was organised by Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad(BUP).
Brig Gen (retd) Shahedul Anam, defence and strategic affairs editor of The Daily Star, said the government should take better preparation and strengthen bargaining power considering the geopolitical reality that gives privilege to Bangladesh before going for any multilateral or bilateral talks.
"Whenever the government goes for any negotiation, it must remember that the geopolitical location of the country makes it important in South Asian politics and strategies that we have to exploit on the discussion table,” he said.
"The main thing is ensuring and upholding the national interest prior to allowing transit to India, and the government should inform the countrymen what they might get from it," Shahedul Anam added.
He said the government should consider the national security along with national interests on priority basis before going for any new talks or treaties.
"In addition, the government must have an opportunity
cost analysis before allowing transit to India," he said, adding that the government should have plan on removing nontariffbarriers and setting free products from the negative list oflndia.
CM Shafi Sami, former foreign secretary, said the government should consider the economic development of the country that might be gained from allowing transit to India.
"Both the countries should join hands to eliminate mistrust over bilateral relation that creates barriers to implementing many treaties that would help us to further strengthen the economic situation of the country," he said.
The government should have specific visions from allowing transit to India, such as attracting new investments and encouraging joint ventures from Indian side, he added.
Mir Nasir Hossain, former FBCCI president, said the government should work hard to reduce trade deficit between India and Bangladesh.
In fiscal year 2007-08 India exported goods worth $3,375 billion to Bangladesh and imported $358.08 million worth products, the seminar was told.
Informal trade between the two countries will be much more, Nasir said.
Rashed Khan Menon, president of Bangladesh Workers Party, said both the countries should open talks to resolve mistrust and suspicious relation and work together for mutual development.
Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, president BUR and Prof Ashraf Uddin Chowdhury, senior vice president of Bangladesh Economic Association, also spoke at the seminar.