Signing of inter-governmental accord on dry ports okayed

The cabinet approved Monday the proposal for concluding accord on inter-governmental agreement on dry ports formulated by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the weekly cabinet meeting, held at the cabinet division at the Bangladesh Secretariat, discussed the visit of the state minister for foreign affairs to Cairo in March last to attend a joint meeting of the Arab League and the United Nations. The meeting in Cairo adopted the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The cabinet once again condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinian people in Gaza and ordered the ministry of foreign affairs (MoFA) to take diplomatic efforts for establishing peace in Gaza Strip.
"The cabinet once again condemned Israeli attacks on Palestinian people in Gaza. It asked the MoFA to take diplomatic efforts to establish peace in Gaza in line with the country's position on the Palestinian issue," Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the media after the meeting.  
Mr Bhuiyan said the cabinet has also called for an immediate halt to the killing and destruction in Gaza Strip by the Israeli forces. Earlier the cabinet had condemned the Gaza attacks by Israel on July 14 last.
He said the cabinet termed Israel's atrocities on Palestinians the worst example of human rights violation as the Israeli forces continued indiscriminate killings of women and children.
"The cabinet observed that it is regrettable that such violence is being perpetrated by Israel in the same year that the world has adopted as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People," Mr Bhuiyan said.
The cabinet secretary said the government of Bangladesh once again expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people and will stand by them in future.
"Bangladesh has been with Palestine and will be in the future. The cabinet has demanded that the lawful rights of the Palestinian people be restored," he said.
The meeting was also informed of the participation of industries minister in the UNIDO Forum on Strategies and Instruments for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development in Vienna on June 23-24 last and commerce minister's participation in the international seminar on 'Bangladesh Development Conference-2014 -- Globalisation and Sustainability of Bangladesh Garment Industry' from June 11-14 last in the USA.