Deal on Bangladesh-Myanmar road link to be signed today

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Shakhawat Hossain
Myanmar Minister for Construction Major General Saw Tun arrived in Dhaka Thursday for signing a deal with Bangladesh on building a friendship road that will also link the Chinese city of Kunming.
"We will sign an agreement on construction of the road tomorrow," said Saw on his arrival at the Zia International Airport.
The Myanmar minister is leading a seven-member team to sign the agreement on construction of the first part of the road.
Dhaka will bear the cost for constructing the first phase under which some 43 kilometers road, 20 kilometers on the Bangladesh side and other 23 kilometers in Myanmar, will be built.
However, Bangladesh will pursue Yangon to ensure the financial assistance for the construction of remaining part of the Bangladesh-Myanmar Friendship Road, official sources said.
Dhaka might utilise the ongoing visit of Myanmar minister to obtain assurance of such assistance for completion of the project.
Yangon's past response for financing the remaining 110 kilometers of the Friendship Road under the second phase of the international project was not encouraging although China and Japan gave assurance of financial and technical support, said a senior ministry official.
Communications adviser MA Matin, who will sign the much-talked-about pact, will focus on the second-phase and will try to convince his counterpart for financing the construction of the remaining part, which might cost more than Tk 7.0 billion, said the ministry official.
"Without a comprehensive decision from Myanmar in financing the second phase, the ultimate goal of such cross-border road-link will not pay much dividend," added the official.
Dhaka's main aim is to establish road link with Kunming, a growing Chinese economic hub, and other East Asian capitals through the road.
The first phase of project will cost of nearly Tk 2.74 billion.
However, the communications ministry officials have expressed happiness as both sides have been able to reach a consensus in striking a deal on first-phase construction after a four-year of negotiations.
According to the ministry officials, the stalemate that stood on the way to building the road was broken following a visit by Ministry of Foreign Affairs adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury in Yangon April last.
They also attributed to Dhaka's positive attitude towards Yangon's demand for a change in the draft agreement on the first-phase of work to break the impasse.
The Myanmar government sought changes in Article III (K) of the draft agreement that deals with the claims relating to injury during the construction.