The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The newly appointed permanent representative-designate of Bangladesh to the Unite Nations in Geneva Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya yesterday said that attaining duty free access of Bangladeshi goods to the United States will be one of the major goals and he will strive hard for the same.

"Ensuring of easy access of service sector will be tough in the next WTO round. We will be noisy to attain duty and quota free access of Bangladeshi goods in the US," he said yesterday at a meeting with the FBCCI leaders. "We will try our best to incorporate most of our products in the '97 per cent' which was granted duty free access during the last WTO meeting in Hong Kong," he added.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) organised the meeting at its conference room with president Mir Nasir Hossain in the chair. Business leaders from different fields attended the meeting.

Dr Bhattacharya sought cooperation from the private sector so that his job can advance country's economic interests.

"The job I am going to take up is not an easy job, especially in the present complicated world scenario," he said.

Requesting the business leaders to appoint a private- sector permanent representative for Geneva to cooperate with government with fast and clear reaction from the private sector Dr Bhattacharya said it will help the country to reap the highest benefit from WTO negotiations.

He said, " My appointment as permanent representative is a recognition of the government towards the private sector."

"By this it is proven that the private sector of the country is getting capable day by day."

He also had a word of warning for the private-sector leaders-that his failure in Geneva would be treated as the failure of the private sector.

Chalking out his activities as the permanent representative to the UN

Geneva office, he said, "If we can utilize the prospects of the changed scenario of the country with the changed world perspective, we can carry the country much ahead."

Dr Bhattacharya pointed out that maintaining international standards of labour is now linked to getting benefit from the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime. "I urge the factory owners to maintain the labour situation at the international level, and I know already the situation has improved a lot," he said.

Speaking at the meeting, FBCCI President Mir Nasir Hossain made a point that LDC are a separate entity having interests unlike others in the comity of nations.

"We must maintain a distance from other developing countries at the time of negotiation. Our interests are different and should not be mixed up with that of other developing countries," he said.

FBCCI director A Rouf Chowdhury, Abul Kashem Ahmed, DCCI president Hossain Khaled, former BGMEA president Annisul Huq, former BTMA president M A Awal, former FBCCI director Abdul Huq and Brig Gen (Retd) M Mofizur Rahman spoke, among others, on the occasion.