Mega leaves Bangladesh after three-day visit

Mega leaves Bangladesh after three-day visit

Agencies, Dhaka

Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri left Dhaka for
Mongolia on Friday, ending a three-day state visit to Bangladesh,
officials said.

State-run Bangladesh Television said President Iajuddin Ahmed
and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia saw the Indonesian leader and
entourage off at the airport.

Megawati arrived in Bangladesh on Wednesday at the start of
her Asian tour that will also take her to Japan and Vietnam after
Mongolia.

Megawati's Dhaka visit was aimed at boosting trade and
investment between the world's two Muslim-majority nations.

The two Asian countries signed three accords for enhanced
bilateral investment and trade between them during the visit.

The accords were reached at talks held overnight between
Megawati and Zia in Dhaka.

The documents signed include a bilateral agreement on
avoidance of double taxation to encourage investments in the
world's two most populated Moslem countries.

The two other documents initialed are a memorandum of
understanding on free access of some chosen Bangladeshi products
to the Indonesian market and another on establishing a joint
business council by the private sectors of the two countries.

Bangladesh is seeking to increase its exports to Indonesia,
which currently has a trade surplus of nearly US$168 million with
Bangladesh. Many Indonesian products are already imported duty-
free to Bangladesh.

Megawati and Zia also reaffirmed their commitments to fight
international terrorism and religious and political extremism.

Earlier on Wednesday Megawati was given a rousing welcome on
arrival in Dhaka at the head of a 100-member business delegation.

Megawati is the first Indonesian President to visit Bangladesh
since 1982. She toured Bangladesh in 2001 as the Vice President
of her country.