TIFA,Transit : Discuss In Parliament First
Press has reported that the Awami League-led government is intent on signing the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the United States and providing transit facilities for India, the commerce minister said. Disclosing Dhaka's latest position on the two proposed deals with Washington and New Delhi , the commerce minister, Faruk Khan, on Tuesday told a business gathering the government of Sheikh Hasina would not sign any agreements contrary to the national interest.
'We have almost come to the final stage [of striking the deal]. We think this will be beneficial for both the countries,' he said about the proposed agreement which the United States wants. 'The deal will be shown to the cabinet [before signing],' he said as he addressed the monthly luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh. As for giving transit facilities to India, Faruk said the matter had already been covered by an earlier bilateral agreement although it was yet to be made operational. 'I see no reason why we should not give transit,' he said and blamed the mentality of the politicians for hindering international cooperation in trade and economic development.The government has not yet made public the draft of TIFA or the already prepared position paper, and it is yet to be ascertained whether the issue of transit will fall under a proposed bilateral free trade agreement with India. 'A lot of studies have been done on transit,' the minister claimed.
Indirectly accusing the opposition BNP of maintaining double standards on transit for political posturing, Faruk claimed a clause on transit to India for the use of Bangladesh's waterways, roads and railways was included in the Indo-Bangladesh Trade Agreement of 1978, which had been renewed by all governments, including the previous BNP government in 2006.'The people who oppose these agreements have a problem of understanding,' he said adding both TIFA and the transit agreement would be signed only if they were beneficial to Bangladesh.
Article VIII of the trade agreement the minister quoted is worded thus: 'The two governments agree to make mutually beneficial arrangements for the use of their waterways, roadways and railways for commerce between the two countries for passage of goods between two places in one country through the territory of the other.' Former AmCham president Aftab ul Islam and the North-South University vice-chancellor, Hafiz GA Siddiqui, raised questions about the contentious issue of transit, TIFA and Bangladesh's market access to India at the meeting presided over by the chamber president Syed Ershad Ahmed. The US ambassador to Bangladesh, James F Moriarty, was present there. When asked if Dhaka would link the issue of giving transit facilities to India with transit to Nepal and Bhutan through the Indian territory for the use of Bangladeshi ports by the two landlocked Himalayan states, Faruq said, 'All issues can be resolved if political will is there.'
The preamble of TIFA's draft has mentioned the issue of 'corruption and bribery,' something which, experts have pointed out, has nothing to do with trade and investment. In the draft agreement, Washington has not yet pledged duty- and quota-free access of Bangladeshi products to the US market. The US ambassador also refrained from making any specific commitment to this demand.
'We have almost come to the final stage [of striking the deal]. We think this will be beneficial for both the countries,' he said about the proposed agreement which the United States wants. 'The deal will be shown to the cabinet [before signing],' he said as he addressed the monthly luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh. As for giving transit facilities to India, Faruk said the matter had already been covered by an earlier bilateral agreement although it was yet to be made operational. 'I see no reason why we should not give transit,' he said and blamed the mentality of the politicians for hindering international cooperation in trade and economic development.The government has not yet made public the draft of TIFA or the already prepared position paper, and it is yet to be ascertained whether the issue of transit will fall under a proposed bilateral free trade agreement with India. 'A lot of studies have been done on transit,' the minister claimed.
Indirectly accusing the opposition BNP of maintaining double standards on transit for political posturing, Faruk claimed a clause on transit to India for the use of Bangladesh's waterways, roads and railways was included in the Indo-Bangladesh Trade Agreement of 1978, which had been renewed by all governments, including the previous BNP government in 2006.'The people who oppose these agreements have a problem of understanding,' he said adding both TIFA and the transit agreement would be signed only if they were beneficial to Bangladesh.
Article VIII of the trade agreement the minister quoted is worded thus: 'The two governments agree to make mutually beneficial arrangements for the use of their waterways, roadways and railways for commerce between the two countries for passage of goods between two places in one country through the territory of the other.' Former AmCham president Aftab ul Islam and the North-South University vice-chancellor, Hafiz GA Siddiqui, raised questions about the contentious issue of transit, TIFA and Bangladesh's market access to India at the meeting presided over by the chamber president Syed Ershad Ahmed. The US ambassador to Bangladesh, James F Moriarty, was present there. When asked if Dhaka would link the issue of giving transit facilities to India with transit to Nepal and Bhutan through the Indian territory for the use of Bangladeshi ports by the two landlocked Himalayan states, Faruq said, 'All issues can be resolved if political will is there.'
The preamble of TIFA's draft has mentioned the issue of 'corruption and bribery,' something which, experts have pointed out, has nothing to do with trade and investment. In the draft agreement, Washington has not yet pledged duty- and quota-free access of Bangladeshi products to the US market. The US ambassador also refrained from making any specific commitment to this demand.
We think it is commerce Minister, not other people ,who has not understood the issue of transit/corridor.India can not be given transit/corridor without linking the issue of our transit to Nepal, Bhutan, even China later.In our view any hurry in this matter only on what India wants will injure our long-term interest.The government should place th drafts or position papers in the Parliament for discussion .The resent administration has just come and has already bungled up so many issues, Upazila election, election of Deputy Speaker, seat distribution in parliamenr, vendetta on on opposition people by its student organization and supporters, making so many officers OSDs etc.They should not bungle up further.
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