The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

US Senator John McCain, who lost the November 4 US Presidential Election to Barack Obama, arrived in the capital late last night.

Adviser for Foreign Affairs Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury received the distinguished guest and his fellow senators, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, at Zia International Airport (ZIA) at around 10.30pm.

McCain will be in Bangladesh for some 11 hours, according to a press release issued by the local American Centre.

During their brief visit, the US senators were expected to meet Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, top political leaders of the BNP and Awami League and members of the civil society.

However, sources in the Awami League and BNP could not confirm whether there is any programme of meeting their party leaders with the US senators.

Before departing from Dhaka at 9.00am, John McCain is scheduled to brief journalists at the ZIA at 8:30am today.

The Foreign Adviser is expected to see the three US senators off at the airport.

McCain and his wife Cindy have a Bangladesh-born 17-year old adopted daughter.

McCain was elected to the US Senate from Arizona in 1986, and was 2008's Republican presidential candidate.

Senator Joseph Lieberman has represented Connecticut in the Senate since 1988. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000.

Senator Lindsey Graham has been US Senator for South Carolina since 2002.

The three senators are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with Senator McCain serving as its Ranking Member.

The foreign relations experts and analysts termed McCain's visit to Dhaka significant in the backdrop of the Indo-US nuclear deal and US strategic relation with South Asian countries.