Negotiating body on transit by next week
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Nazmul Ahsan
The government is going to finalise its position and strategies soon in relation to negotiations with India, Nepal and Bhutan on transit issues, a top policy maker in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. A high-level negotiating committee, headed by Dr Moshiur Rahman, Economic Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will be formed by the next week to deal with the transit related issues. The PMO has sought representatives from ministries of foreign, commerce, shipping and National Board of Revenue last week to form the high-level committee, an official source said. The formal negotiation on transit with interested countries may take place from next July, a high official in the PMO said. "We will finalise our transit related positions and strategies soon to provide symbolic transit to India, Nepal and Bhutan," a high official in the PMO said. He said full-fledged transit facility could not be given to any sub-regional country during the remaining period of the incumbent government due to lack of required infrastructure in the country. According to Terms of Reference (ToR) of the proposed high-level negotiating committee, the committee will fix fees, charges and modalities for the proposed transit agreements with the three countries. The committee is expected to consult soon the recommendations prepared by the Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC) on the basis of its economic analysis of transit facility. Besides, the committee will finalise the techniques of negotiation with its counterparts, the ToR said. Asked, BTC Chairman Mojibur Rahman said they are finalizing the economic analysis with standard procedures for the purpose of transit. "We have made a good progress in finalizing the economic analysis on transit, which will outline standard procedure for the purpose," Mojib, also head of core committee on transit told the FE. Earlier, the core committee in its report, submitted to the government on April 19, suggested the government not to provide full-fledged transit facilities to neighbouring India, Nepal and Bhutan within the next three years because of poor infrastructures such as roads, railways, waterways and sea- and land-ports. Meanwhile, New Delhi has recently sought transit facility through 15 routes of Bangladesh territory, while the core committee suggested seven routes for road, seven for railway and three (with existing two) routes for waterways for transit. The proposed top level negotiating committee will analyse the proposed routes, suggested by both core committee and India, a top commerce ministry official said.
The government is going to finalise its position and strategies soon in relation to negotiations with India, Nepal and Bhutan on transit issues, a top policy maker in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. A high-level negotiating committee, headed by Dr Moshiur Rahman, Economic Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will be formed by the next week to deal with the transit related issues. The PMO has sought representatives from ministries of foreign, commerce, shipping and National Board of Revenue last week to form the high-level committee, an official source said. The formal negotiation on transit with interested countries may take place from next July, a high official in the PMO said. "We will finalise our transit related positions and strategies soon to provide symbolic transit to India, Nepal and Bhutan," a high official in the PMO said. He said full-fledged transit facility could not be given to any sub-regional country during the remaining period of the incumbent government due to lack of required infrastructure in the country. According to Terms of Reference (ToR) of the proposed high-level negotiating committee, the committee will fix fees, charges and modalities for the proposed transit agreements with the three countries. The committee is expected to consult soon the recommendations prepared by the Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC) on the basis of its economic analysis of transit facility. Besides, the committee will finalise the techniques of negotiation with its counterparts, the ToR said. Asked, BTC Chairman Mojibur Rahman said they are finalizing the economic analysis with standard procedures for the purpose of transit. "We have made a good progress in finalizing the economic analysis on transit, which will outline standard procedure for the purpose," Mojib, also head of core committee on transit told the FE. Earlier, the core committee in its report, submitted to the government on April 19, suggested the government not to provide full-fledged transit facilities to neighbouring India, Nepal and Bhutan within the next three years because of poor infrastructures such as roads, railways, waterways and sea- and land-ports. Meanwhile, New Delhi has recently sought transit facility through 15 routes of Bangladesh territory, while the core committee suggested seven routes for road, seven for railway and three (with existing two) routes for waterways for transit. The proposed top level negotiating committee will analyse the proposed routes, suggested by both core committee and India, a top commerce ministry official said.