Bangladesh seeks Megawati's help for ARF membership

Bangladesh seeks Megawati's help for ARF membership

Nadeem Qadir, Agence France-Presse, Dhaka

Bangladesh on Thursday sought visiting Indonesian President
Megawati Soekarnoputri's backing to join the ASEAN Regional Forum
(ARF) as part of a "Look East" policy to boost its economy.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia raised membership in ARF, Asia's
top security forum, during talks with Megawati as Indonesia "is
an important member of ASEAN," said Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary
Shamser Mobin Chowdhury.

"Bangladesh would like to engage more directly with ASEAN
countries and a moratorium on ARF membership has been lifted ...
Bangladesh is among the top two or three countries which are
likely to get the membership," Chowdhury told reporters.

Pakistan was also under consideration to join ARF at the
forum's meeting this week in Cambodia, but the move was
reportedly blocked by rival India.

Bangladesh and Indonesia initialed four agreements to boost
bilateral trade, including one on avoidance of double taxation,
Chowdhury said. Megawati also met members of the Federation of
Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Megawati's visit to cash-strapped Bangladesh comes as Zia's
government pursues a "Look East" policy aimed at forging economic
ties with Southeast Asia.

At a banquet Wednesday night for Megawati, Zia said her
country's "unique geographical location makes Bangladesh a
natural bridge between South and Southeast Asia."

"Since both Bangladesh and Indonesia are developing countries
with similar economic challenges, we need to intensify our
efforts through closer political and economic links both at
bilateral and regional levels," Zia said.

Megawati in turn called on the two countries to "exert our
strength to have broad contacts" at all levels from governments
to businesses to people.

"I believe there (is) more room for us to explore if we want
to achieve more meaningful and substantive bilateral relations,"
Megawati said.

The trade balance between Bangladesh and Indonesia is heavily
in Jakarta's favor. In the 2001-2002 fiscal year, Bangladesh's
exports to Indonesia stood at US$5.6 million, largely jute and
garments, while imports were worth $173.6 million and included
mineral products, plastics and machinery.

Thousands of people, particularly women who work in the
garment factories, lined the streets earlier Thursday as
Megawati's motorcade passed through the Tejgaon industrial area.

Megawati also visited the residence of Jakarta's envoy to
Dhaka, Maddolangeng Mansjur, to meet Indonesians living here.

Megawati was scheduled to hold separate talks with main
opposition leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed but the meeting failed to
take place, said officials, who did not have an immediate reason.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who made a lightning
visit to Bangladesh on Thursday, refused to see Sheikh Hasina
because she would not call off a half-day strike meant to protest
the killing of one of her party activists.

The government had also tried unsuccessfully to persuade the
opposition to call off the strike, worried about the impression
it would give.

Strikes are a frequent political tactic in Bangladesh, where
parliament is also frequently disrupted due to the bitter rivalry
between Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

Megawati leaves Bangladesh on Friday for Mongolia at the end
of a three-day visit to Dhaka as part of an Asian tour that will
also take her to Japan and Vietnam.

The last top-level visit between the two countries was in 1978
when president Ziaur Rahman, Zia's slain husband, visited
Jakarta.

Megawati, who also traveled to Dhaka in 2001 when she was
Indonesia's vice president, laid a wreath at Rahman's grave.