Robert Zoellick arrives today

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FE Report
World Bank (WB) President Robert B Zoellick arrives in Dhaka this (Saturday) afternoon on a two-day visit to Bangladesh.
During his visit, Zoellick will hold talks with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam.
The WB chief will also meet the representatives of the civil society including Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank Managing Director Mohammad Yunus and visit Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ).
The government believes the visit of the chief of the global lender is a success of the foreign diplomacy of the present administration. During the meetings, the government is expected to convince the WB President to extend the Bank's support to different reforms undertaken by the caretaker administration, sources said.
As part of his visit to South Asian region, Robert Zoellick, the successor of the Paul Wolfowitz, is coming to Dhaka for the first time after taking over as the President of the Washington-based multilateral donor agency early this year.
Official sources said the government is expected to request the WB chief to assist Bangladesh to recover the money siphoned off abroad by some corrupt persons.
Besides, the sources said, the caretaker government might also seek the Bank's financial support to advance its reforms programme and for construction of the Padma Bridge.
Finance ministry sources said that the government would apprise Zoellick about the recent reforms undertaken to establish good governance and transparency in the country.
A PTI report adds: The World Bank (WB) is in the final stages of deciding on a massive USD 1.5 billion loan to Pakistan, with an additional USD 300 million investment in the country's private sector.
World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said the Bank had already given USD 10 billion loan to Pakistan and talks have been held with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for USD 1.5 billion loans, adding that the financial institution would invest USD 300 million in the private sector.
Zoellick met Prime Minister Aziz Wednesday and expressed satisfaction over reforms programme in Pakistan. He was hopeful that the new government that would be formed after the parliamentary elections would continue the process.
Lauding the steps taken by the government to achieve the Millennium Development Goal, Zoellick said the Bank would continue its support to Pakistan till 2015, the Online news reported yesterday.
In regard to construction of dams, he said the Bank would support Pakistan after assessing the situation in the country.
The Bank president said that Pakistan should pay attention to developing infrastructure in order to face the challenge of liberalisation.
Another report adds from New Delhi, the bank agreed to sanction a loan of 944 million dollars to India for strengthening rural finance system, vocational training programmes and community-based water management projects.
Three WB loan/credit agreements amounting to US$ 944 million were signed here today in the presence of visiting World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick and the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram.
The loan/credit agreements are for Strengthening Rural Credit Cooperatives Project for US$ 600 million loan and credit; India Vocational Education Training Project for US$ 280 million credit; and additional financing for the Karnataka Community Based Tank Management Project for US$ 64 million loan and credit.
Extending a very warm welcome to. Zoellick on his first visit to India as the President of WB, Chidambaram said "The agreements are being signed today for about 950 million dollar of WB assistance in three critical areas - rural finance, vocational training and restoration of water bodies.
It gives me personally a great satisfaction to see the culmination of project preparation process, as all these three relate to announcements that I have made in my Budget Speech in the Parliament".