Dhaka closer to better global market facility: Adviser
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said Monday Dhaka made headway at the WTO talks in getting meaningful market facility in the world market, reports bdnews24.com.
He made the claim at a dialogue on "Collapse of Recent WTO Talks and Bangladesh: Experience and Options" at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city Monday.
He said many might think the ministerial-level meeting of World Trade Organisation (WTO) at Geneva from July 21-31 had been a failure.
"But it is not true that we did not achieve anything from it. Some progress has been made in getting meaningful market facility in different countries of the world including the USA and the European Union."
The adviser said Pakistan and Sri Lanka had now softened their stance on the increase of Generalised System of Preference (GSP) facility for Bangladeshi goods in the US market.
"We had been demanding for the increase for a long time. But Pakistan and Sri Lanka were making strong objections. They argued that if GSP facility was increased to Bangladesh they would lag behind in competition.
"Now the two countries have moved from their previous stand. They have said that they don't have reservations about Bangladesh getting increased GSP facility. It is believed that the USA will now give Bangladesh 10 per cent GSP facility," Hossain Zillur said.
"There is nothing to be frustrated about. In the Geneva meeting we as a team comprising representatives from government, non-government and research organisations bargained for realising meaningful market facility. In some cases we have achieved success. We will have to gain facility by using this experience."
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the WTO, UN office Debapriya Bhattacharya presented the keynote paper at the dialogue organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan presided over the dialogue where Commerce Secretary Feroz Ahmed, former foreign secretary Farook Sobhan, BGMEA President Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez and CPD Executive Director Mostafizur Rahman spoke.
Dr Debapriya said, "Many people hope that the WTO should assist in food security and combating fuel crisis. But it must not be forgotten that WTO is not a development agency, it's a trade body. The main job of the WTO is to assist different countries in matters of commerce."
He said meaningful market facility had to be realised through bilateral and multilateral dialogue and bargaining.
He made the claim at a dialogue on "Collapse of Recent WTO Talks and Bangladesh: Experience and Options" at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city Monday.
He said many might think the ministerial-level meeting of World Trade Organisation (WTO) at Geneva from July 21-31 had been a failure.
"But it is not true that we did not achieve anything from it. Some progress has been made in getting meaningful market facility in different countries of the world including the USA and the European Union."
The adviser said Pakistan and Sri Lanka had now softened their stance on the increase of Generalised System of Preference (GSP) facility for Bangladeshi goods in the US market.
"We had been demanding for the increase for a long time. But Pakistan and Sri Lanka were making strong objections. They argued that if GSP facility was increased to Bangladesh they would lag behind in competition.
"Now the two countries have moved from their previous stand. They have said that they don't have reservations about Bangladesh getting increased GSP facility. It is believed that the USA will now give Bangladesh 10 per cent GSP facility," Hossain Zillur said.
"There is nothing to be frustrated about. In the Geneva meeting we as a team comprising representatives from government, non-government and research organisations bargained for realising meaningful market facility. In some cases we have achieved success. We will have to gain facility by using this experience."
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the WTO, UN office Debapriya Bhattacharya presented the keynote paper at the dialogue organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan presided over the dialogue where Commerce Secretary Feroz Ahmed, former foreign secretary Farook Sobhan, BGMEA President Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez and CPD Executive Director Mostafizur Rahman spoke.
Dr Debapriya said, "Many people hope that the WTO should assist in food security and combating fuel crisis. But it must not be forgotten that WTO is not a development agency, it's a trade body. The main job of the WTO is to assist different countries in matters of commerce."
He said meaningful market facility had to be realised through bilateral and multilateral dialogue and bargaining.