Dhaka contends against Islamabad’s drive

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Dhaka contends against
Islamabad’s drive
Diplomatic Correspondent

Business

Dhaka has launched a move to contend against an initiative of Islamabad to get certain benefits in addition to the existing ones enjoyed under the Generalised System of Preference on several items exported to European and US markets.

The Pakistan’s initiative to get additional benefits under the GSP facility on several export items will create ‘some challenges to our trade’, foreign secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes remarked at a news briefing on Thursday, when his attention was drawn to the Pakistani initiative.

‘We are discussing with the EU so that its decision does not compromise our interests,’ he said, adding that discussions ‘are on in Geneva’.

The secretary however said Bangladesh expressed solidarity with the global response to the plight of the flood victims in Pakistan and sent a modest assistance for them.

The developing countries, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, are allowed zero-tariff access to European Union markets under the GSP facility.

Islamabad is trying to get additional benefits like increased quota of 46 items exported to EU and US markets to stabilise its flood-hit economy, a foreign ministry official said.

Bangladesh expressed its reservation about allowing Pakistan such additional benefits on eight of the items – readymade garments, leather and leather goods, shrimp, jute and jute goods, and tea.

The prime minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, was planning to send the country’s commerce minister, Makhdoom Ameen Faheem, as his special envoy to Dhaka for three days from Tuesday to manage Bangladesh’s support to Pakistan’s drive to increase its export to EU and US markets, said a government official. The envoy was scheduled to call on the president, Zillur Rahman, and the commerce minister, Mohammad Faruk Khan, on Wednesday.

The Pakistan government however cancelled the trip as the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was not in Dhaka.
When asked about the German government’s position on the Pakistani move, the visiting German state minister for foreign affairs, Martin Biesel, who was also present at the news briefing, said they were considering the issue on the ground of helping Pakistan ‘stabilise’ after the devastating flooding.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Dhaka to seek WTO protection if EU grants GSP to Islamabad

Dhaka to seek WTO protection if EU grants GSP to Islamabad


The government will submit its plea to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding exclusion or capping on "eight major items", exported by Pakistan to the European Union (EU) countries as the Eurozone is likely to give Generalised System of Preference (GSP) facility to Pakistan, said a top official of Ministry of Commerce on Friday in Dhaka, reports BSS.

Pakistan has been demanding GSP plus status for a few years in the EU as the country was battered by a devastating flood recently.

Bangladesh's apparel export to the EU might be hurt if the EU provides the proposed GSP facility to Pakistan for gaining duty-free access.

Commerce Secretary Ghulam Hossain told the news agency that the government had urged the EU to help protect "eight export items" as Bangladesh applied for exclusion or capping on export of eight major products, also exported by Pakistan to the EU.

"We support Pakistan's plea to the EU to help them on humanitarian ground but that should not be done on business ground," said Ghulam Hossain.

If the EU provides the proposed GSP status to Pakistan for gaining duty-free access, he said, Bangladesh's eight items -- largely apparel -- products that are being exported to the EU countries, would be affected.

"We have already informed our missions abroad to deal with the matter and hope that it would be properly dealt with, by Bangladesh Ambassadors to the EU countries.

Echoing the same view, Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan said the problem Pakistan faced should be resolved through humanitarian support, instead of doing it on business ground.

"There is no scope for dealing with the issue on business ground," said Faruk Khan.

He said "It will not be wise if the EU provides Pakistan with the GSP facility as Bangladesh's export of those 'eight items' will be hampered if such a move is given effect to."

"The government's stance on the issue is clear and focused. We have already informed the EU to consider our stance to this end," he said.

 

[Skies]

If any developing country (even India) can convince EU then who is BD to contend against ........

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

it's capitalism.......make the good cheaper and more competitive i guess.

on a side note, they should keep in mind that we faced the worst floods in history and the only way to make up for losses is to give some form of 'preferential' treatment. They don't have to, but it's nice that they did; just requires good planning and assertiveness

 

[Skies]

India, Bangladesh block EU trade relief for Islamabad

Faced with strong resistance from India at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, the European Union has delayed duty-free concessions for 67 products from Pakistan till March 2011. It was earlier expected to be effective from January, a senior official said yesterday. The EU recently approached the WTO to seek waiver on trade preferences to Pakistan on these products amounting to almost 900mn Euros. A senior official in the commerce ministry requesting anonymity confirmed that the waiver was blocked by four WTO-member countries - Vietnam, Bangladesh and Peru led by India in the first meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods.

Gulf Times ? Qatar?s top-selling English daily newspaper - Pakistan/Afghanistan

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

just looking out after their own interests; though i must say my disappointment in Bangladesh is becoming more and more pronounced

 

[somebozo]

India, Bangladesh block EU trade relief for Islamabad

All this while repeating the mantra of boosting Pak-Indo trade and even Man Mohan on repeat like a stuck LP on same topic during interview.

 

[TopCat]

just looking out after their own interests; though i must say my disappointment in Bangladesh is becoming more and more pronounced

Dont forget the last WTO conference in Doha where Islamabad and Srilanka only the two countries came out openly started name calling Bangladesh for not giving concessional treatment to Bangladesh as a LDC member. Also everytime your trade official even your President goes to Europe, they talk against Bangladesh. In this respect BD did well and never took a position directly against Pakistan.

 

[KS]

All this while repeating the mantra of boosting Pak-Indo trade and even Man Mohan on repeat like a stuck LP on same topic during interview.

Well everyone to his own --- Manmohan is duty bound to protect Indian weavers, not Pakistani weavers.

 

[johnny boy]

Well everyone to his own --- Manmohan is duty bound to protect Indian weavers, not Pakistani weavers.

yup..thats true and obvious...