The ambassador said he expected the Saarc summit would lead to the implementation of a South Asian Free Trade Area (Safta). "The Saarc countries could have been benefited from Safta. We thought it would be a copy of Nafta, extending cooperation in the region," he said.

The ambassador's remarks came during a face-to-face with women journalists organised in the city yesterday by the Bangladesh Centre for Development of Journalism and Communication (BCDJC).

During the occasion the ambassador also discussed freedom of the press, human rights, the recent series of bomb attacks and political violence.

When asked about India's allegation of a deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh, the ambassador refrained from making any comment, saying he could only comment on specific issues. "I would not say the overall law and order situation is getting worse, but the crime that happened should be solved," he commented.

Reiterating the statement of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the ambassador urged for a vigorous investigation of all acts of political terrorism, including the January 27 grenade attack in Habiganj.

He said failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of acts of political violence fosters a climate of insecurity and impunity and therefore, encourages further attacks. "The Bangladesh government needs to act quickly to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible for political terrorism," he said.

When asked about the failure of investigations into such incidents, the ambassador said Bangladesh faces all the challenges for criminal investigation that other developing countries face, i.e. lack of equipment and forensic facilities. He said the US government is considering the Bangladesh government's request for assistance with the recent investigations.

He also mentioned that the recent New York Times Magazine article titled "The Next Islamic Revolution?" did not damage Bangladesh's reputation as the author has reported whatever was reported earlier in local media.

He said the author would not have heard of 'Bangla Bhai' if his activities were not published in local media. "We trust the prime minister's order to nab Bangla Bhai will be implemented soon," he added.