She was speaking at a meeting of the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary League (JBPL) at the Green Hall of Akasaka Prince Hotel here in the evening.

JBPL President Shin Shakurai MP, Vice-President Wakako Harinakaw and Adviser Hajame Ishi also addressed the meeting that began with the playing of national anthems of both the countries.

Describing Bangladesh as a model of democracy among the developing countries, the prime minister said Bangladesh is not far from the goals of attaining a bright economic future with a democratic polity that inspired its independence.

Khaleda, now on a five-day official visit to Japan, requested the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary League to help in making our relations stronger and closer in the years to come.

She said Japan has sustained Bangladesh's development efforts as genuine friend. "We will like to count on the support that Japan has given us over the years," she added.

Appreciating Japan's liberal ODA policy that has touched many crucial areas of Bangladesh's development, the prime minister thanked Japan for its recent decision to write off $1.46 billion debt that Bangladesh owed to Japan. This suggests the high quality of Japanese ODA to Bangladesh, she added.

The prime minister expressed the hope that this involvement would extend not only to the expansion of trade and enhancement of FDI flows but also go far beyond to strengthen economic cooperation, support for good governance, building partnership in regional and global issues and promoting human exchange and dialogue.

On foreign investment, she said, the potentials of foreign investment in Bangladesh are immense and the investors can take advantage of Bangladesh's duty-free access to major world markets as a member of LDC.

The prime minister recalled the gesture of the Japanese schoolchildren during Bangladesh's War of Independence and also noted with gratitude that Japan as a genuine friend has sustained the development efforts of Bangladesh since the independence.

She invited a delegation of the league of lawmakers to Bangladesh to see for themselves Japan's contributions to Bangladesh's development efforts.

"We would also like to use this visit to establish Bangladesh-Japan Parliamentary League in our parliament so that the two leagues can further strengthen our excellent bilateral relations," the prime minister said.

Mentioning the legendary resilience of Bangladeshi people, she said neither natural nor man-made disaster succeeded in subduing the indomitable spirit of the people.

She, however, reminded that the struggle for achieving democratic society and economic prosperity for all has not been easy. "No country has achieved democracy instantly. Democratic institutions need time to grow roots," Khaleda said, adding, "We started the process with elections in 1991 after our people overthrew a military dictatorship."

She asserted that her party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was the prime mover in this transition. "Since then, we had three general elections, and governments changed peacefully."

The prime minister said the parliament is sovereign although we have some problems in making it truly functional. She blamed the lacking on "unfair demands by the opposition". However, she believes that all this is "part of the process of democratisation".

Mentioning the achievements under her government's rule, she said the press is enjoying total freedom while courts in Bangladesh are functioning independently.

The prime minister also said her government set in motion fundamental structural changes to sustain the country's economic and social development.

Law and order, once primary concern, is now under control. "My government has dealt with the violators, including from my own party. We are now negotiating with the opposition to make parliament the focus of all political activities. We are working hard for separating the judiciary from the executive and we also created an independent commission very recently to deal with corruption effectively."

The prime minister said that Bangladesh has got the best record of communal harmony in South Asia. "Our country is the best example of a Muslim- majority country where there is a well-rooted liberal democratic political system in place," she told the meeting.

She claimed that Bangladesh can rightly be projected as a model among the developing countries for succeeding with democracy, despite considerable odds.