Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury sought the intervention of the World Trade Organization when he met WTO Director General Pascal Lamy at his office in Geneva on Tuesday evening.

Chowdhury urged Lamy to facilitate this process of obtaining the free access of Bangladesh's main export product to the developed world as per the global trading rules enforced by the WTO, which grant preferential treatment to products from the less-fortunate nations.

"I told him that Bangladesh must not be penalised for her performance, and the WTO must use all its influence so that countries like ours can derive benefits from our comparative advantage," he told the media after the meeting in the Swiss city.

The adviser said he also explained to the WTO chief executive the reforms being currently undertaken in Bangladesh and the prevailing socioeconomic stability, which is giving the economy a big boost. "I assured him we would remain an active partner of the WTO," he further stated.

Earlier, Dr Chowdury met with Doru Romulus Costea, president of the UN Human Rights Council, when they discussed the role of the council in advancing human rights everywhere.

The foreign adviser apprised him of the decision of the Bangladesh government to set up a national Human Rights Commission soon. The UN body chief expressed his satisfaction at this, according to a message received here yesterday.