BANGLADESH

Two days after the US expressed concern over the recent events surrounding the microcredit lender, the foreign secretary has suggested that Grameen Bank issue is Bangladesh's internal matter.

He was responding to a question about the recent meeting between foreign minister Dipu Moni and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton where secretary Clinton expressed her concern over Grameen Bank issue.

Mohamed Mijarul Quayes said with a tinge of sarcasm on Saturday "I know all of you journalists love me and are concerned about my weight. But what I will do with my weight is entirely my concern."

In the meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Clinton had directly expressed the US concern over Grameen Bank to Dipu Moni.

In her official remark, she said, "We have expressed directly to the (Bangladesh) government our concern."

Clinton, however, hoped that the Grameen Bank will be able to continue to function productively on behalf of the Bangladeshi people.

A personal friend of Clinton family, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus had to resign as the bank's managing director, apparently under government pressure, following his sacking by the central bank.

Assistant secretary of state Robert O Blake at a press briefing earlier this year said the Bangladesh-US relationship would be hampered if the Grameen Bank row was not settled amicably.

TEESTA DEAL

The agreement on equitable sharing of the waters of the river Teesta will be signed 'soon' but the foreign secretary said but added that no timeframe was set.

"We hope to sign the deal soon," said Quayes at a media briefing at the ministry Saturday.

At a news conference on the visit of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh on Sept 8, he said quoting prime minister Sheikh Hasina that the agreement would signed within three months.

"Negotiations and principles of Teesta river agreement have reached a certain stage and now we have to operationalise it," he clarified on Saturday.

When asked why the Indian side were asking for data and statistics, he said there would be two agreements – one interim and another long-term.

"It is happening in parallel."

MYNAMAR NATIONALS

The secretary said Myanmar has expressed its interest to take back all its nationals living in Bangladesh as refugee and undocumented.

""We had a consultation at a foreign secretary-level meeting and agreed that Myanmar nationals will be repatriated."

"The government has taken soft stance as Bangladesh wants to repatriate all the foreign nationals but not by force," Qauyes explained.

There are 28,000 Myanmar refugees living in Bangladesh camps and about 200,000 to 500,000 undocumented nationals also staying here, he said.

Prime minister Hasina will visit Myanmar soon and this issue will be discussed there.

The recently held election in Myanmar has created a window of opportunity to send back the illegal Myanmar migrants, Quayes said.

FOC WITH CHINA

Foreign office consultation (FOC) meeting at the secretary level will begin from Oct 17 and the secretary is leaving On Saturday to attend the meeting.

"We are going to discuss if there is any problem in implementing the decisions taken by both the governments," he said, "Neither any new decision will be taken nor any agreement will be signed in the meeting."

"It is more of a shepherding meeting."

KOSOVO ISSUE

The government is considering to recognise Kosovo but any decision is yet to be taken, according to the foreign secretary.

"This is an ongoing discussion."

RECOGNITION OF NTC

The government recognised National Transition Council as the interim government of Libya after the UN did so, the foreign secretary said.

"So far we know 5,000 Bangladeshis are still in Libya and all of them are safe."