"He is expected to discuss counter-terrorism," Foreign Secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury told reporters at the foreign ministry.

The visit was in the pipeline for two months and was not related to the arrival of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials to assist in the August 21 grenade attack probe.

"He is a policymaker not an investigator," said Chowdhury to reporters not disclosing any possible agenda on the discussion to be held between Morshed and Black.

As President Bush's special envoy to Bangladesh, Black will call on Hasina at her residence, Sudha Sadan, in the morning.

Later he will meet foreign minister and other officials at the foreign ministry. He is scheduled to brief the press on his discussion with Hasina and Morshed in the afternoon.

Black will fly in from Islamabad where he sat with the joint working group on counter-terrorism between the US and Pakistan. He visited Delhi earlier, to hold a meeting of the US and India joint working group.

This is part of his four-nation South Asia tour that includes trips to India, Pakistan and Nepal, besides Bangladesh.

Black's office plays a leading role on the State Department's counter-terrorism task forces organised to coordinate responses to international terrorist incidents, and improve counter-terrorism cooperation with the foreign governments, including policy and planning of the US antiterrorism training assistance programme.

With a 28-year CIA career behind him, Black was formerly the CIA counter-terrorism centre task force chief of the Near East and South Asia division and received numerous awards including the Distinguished Intelligence Medal by the US government.

Black will leave Dhaka tomorrow.