US mission trying to arrange Kerry visit

The American embassy here continued efforts to arrange a visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Bangladesh, said Ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat.

"We have continued encouraging the US State Secretary to include Bangladesh in his visit plan," she said while talking to a group of journalists after a meeting with Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque in his office in Dhaka on Wednesday evening.

On a query, the US envoy said she did not have, till now, any information regarding the US foreign minister's trip to Bangladesh.

Answering a question what transpired during the over-an-hour-long parley, Ms Bernicat categorically said, "A wide range of issues were discussed."

The US envoy wouldn't elaborate. The discussion, however, took place at a time when foreign diplomats in Dhaka were making contacts with both sides of the political divide as Bangladesh has been passing through unrest.            

She said it was a regular meeting.

    smunima@yahoo.com