US lauds outcome of Business Summit in Dhaka

The US State Department welcomed the successful outcome of the Bangladesh-Indo-Pakistan Business Summit held in Dhaka at the initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reports UNB.

The State Department said the summit was important as it was attended by the Prime Ministers of the three South Asian countries.

The US government was glad that the dialogue between India and Pakistan was continuing. The United States also very much supports the greater economic cooperation among the countries of South Asia.

The State Department officials stressed that the US has also been closely following the growing cooperation between eastern India and Bangladesh.

They also referred to the US Secretary of Commerce William Daley's visit to Calcutta for the Investment-Economic Summit held there last month.

The officials said the US government cordially welcomes any ''sign of economic opening between India and Pakistan.''BSS from New Delhi adds: The Indian newspapers have also welcomed three-nation business summit which it said focused on issues related to regional economic cooperation.

"The Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's initiative in holding the summit clearly shows that she is keen on addressing the regional issues which have prevented development at a time when the global economy is undergone rapid changes," prestigious daily 'The Hindu' said in an editorial published on Saturday.

It said Sheikh Hasina has rightly reminded the sub-continent of the immense strategic advantage to improve its share in the global trade.

The very idea of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) will be exciting if only the political leadership of the South Asian nations decides to work together to achieve this goal, the paper said.

In another editorial, 'The Observer' described the summit as 'unique' in more than one way.

Host Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has managed to bring two acrimonious neighbours, India and Pakistan, across the table to talk of a free trade area in the SAARC region by the year 2001, the paper said.

With Indian Prime Minister I K Gujral eager to cement ties with neighbours, the atmosphere at the Dhaka summit was reported to be congenial one, the paper said.

It was also the last opportunity to reinforce in practice the doctrine that bears his (Gujral) name, the paper added.