The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Switzerland

Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, who is also in charge of Expatriate Welfare Ministry, has said he is happy with the outcome of the Abu Dhabi dialogue between Asian labour-sending and labour-receiving countries which agreed on a set of partnerships between the two groups.

The dialogue, attended by the Foreign Adviser, concluded in the UAE capital, resulting in the Abu Dhabi declaration.

Dr Chowdhury, who is accompanying Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, said Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf would be benefited from this outcome which seeks to put an end to exploitation by both recruiting agents and employers, and improve the condition of workers.

There are over 7,00,000 Bangladeshi workers in the UAE alone. In the last month of 2007, there were nearly 27,000 new arrivals. The Foreign Adviser said, "Gulf will continue to be a