DHAKA, 6 January 2005 — Bangladesh’s quest for land transit to Nepal is expected to dominate the talks when India, Bangladesh and Myanmar meet in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, on Jan. 12-13 to finalize a three-nation gas pipeline project.
The Bangladesh government has decided on Dhaka’s points of deliberation for the three-nation gas pipeline project meeting and has set certain conditions like import of gas from Myanmar when required, for allowing the gas pipeline from Myanmar to the Indian state of West Bengal over Bangladesh territory.
State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Mosharrof Hossain will lead a two-member Bangladesh team for the talks. They will leave Dhaka for Myanmar on Jan. 11. Earlier, the government formed a committee to weigh the pros and cons of the proposal and identified the way through which Bangladesh could get more benefit. Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, principal secretary to the prime minister led the committee and set the deliberation points for Bangladesh. However, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday gave her final nod to the much-awaited meeting.
Meanwhile, thousands of cheering opposition supporters yesterday greeted Sajeeb Wajed Joy, the US-educated son of former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed and an emerging idol in Bangladesh’s turbulent politics.
Joy, a computer engineer, was given a rousing reception as he and his American wife Christine, an attorney, visited Tungipara in southwestern Gopalganj district, to pay homage at the graveside of Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s independence leader. Although Joy said he would return to the United States soon, opposition leaders have asked him to play a role in the run-up to parliamentary elections in 2006.
