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Dhaka likely to seek more time to ratafy AH agreement
FE Report
12/27/2005
Bangladesh is likely to seek extension of the deadline set for ratification of the Asian Highway (AH) agreement shortly.
The foreign ministry has been assigned to pursue the AH authority for extension of the deadline at a cabinet meeting on December 12.
Sources, however, said the foreign ministry has not specified any time for the extension.
Sponsored by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the AH authority has set December 31 as the deadline for Bangladesh to ratify the multi-national treaty.
The AH has been recognised by 27 out of 32 member countries, including Japan, China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan Iran and Turkey. All the South Asian nations except Bangladesh ratified it.
The country is unwilling to ratify the treaty due to some reservation on the proposed routes. Bangladesh wants a different route as pre-condition for ratifying the treaty.
But the AH authority is suggesting the country to ratify the treaty first and then raise the issue of changing the route.
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