Bangladesh seeks US intelligence cooperation

Bangladesh is willing to sign a protocol with the United States to set up a joint working group like India and Pakistan did to enhance Dhaka's capability to effectively deal with future terrorist acts in the country.

Dhaka expressed its intention during a meeting between Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan and visiting US State Department Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Ambassador J. Cofer Black at the Foreign Ministry here Sunday, according to the United News of Bangladesh, a private news agency in the country.

Talking to news reporters at the American Center here, Black, emissary of American President George W. Bush, did not straightway rule out any such protocol in future, but said it needs more exchanges of information and formalizing the structure of capacity building between the two countries.

He said the United States has a joint working group with India for a long time and a similar mechanism with Pakistan and many other countries.

The former official of the CIA said Dhaka and Washington have close relations and active anti-terrorism program under which US military is providing training to Bangladesh military and police personnel to help enhance their capacity to deal with acts of terrorism.

Referring to the recent signing of an understanding between Dhaka and Washington to improve the border administration, he said the US government is looking at the prospect of supporting Bangladeshi government by installing technology at entry points soon to help screening any potential terrorists entering Bangladesh.

Talking about the August 21 grenade attacks on the rally of the main opposition the Awami League in Dhaka which left 20 people killed, about 300 others injured, Black said a swift and aggressive effort is a must to identify the criminals and try them by the court of law and resolve this problem.

Source: Xinhua