The ministry will also take initiatives to strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh embassy in the US as part of lobbying for the passage of the TRADE bill, Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan told RMG makers yesterday.

He was speaking at a meeting with a seven-member delegation of BGMEA in Dhaka.

The leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) met the foreign minister as part of their renewed efforts to get the TRADE (Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies) Bill 2005 passed following the frustrating outcomes of WTO Hong Kong ministerial.

The TRADE bill seeks duty-free access of all products from Bangladesh and 13 other least developed countries (LDCs) of the Asia Pacific region.

The bill is expected to be reviewed in November in the US Congress.

Morshed said, "My ministry will put all diplomatic efforts before the next WTO talks in Geneva."

The minister suggested that the RMG exporters maintain proper communication with Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Bangladesh's permanent representative in the United Nations, to keep abreast of the existing position of the bill and find out further strategies.

The bill was tabled in the US Congress on January 26 last year. The bill is currently under discussion at the Trade Committee of the House of Representatives and Finance Committee of the Senate.

Expressing his satisfaction about the meeting, BGMEA President Tipu Munshi said, "If the government helps us, there is a possibility of getting the bill passed."

He said, "We need urgent attention from the government to enter US apparel market."