BANGLADESH AND BRITAIN AGREE TO COUNTER TERRORISM.

Bangladesh and Britain on Sunday agreed to launch a joint working group to counter terrorism. Ending the first meeting of the UK-Bangladesh Joint Working Group, state minister for foreign affairs Hasan Mahmud told reporters that Bangladesh sought the UK's support to strengthen the coast guards to protect its maritime resources. The UK minister for security and counter-terrorism Lord West, who came to city on Saturday, and Mahmud had talks on forming the Joint Working Group on Sunday at the state guest house Meghna. "Both of our nations sadly have been victims of terrorism and I think it is very important that we work together in the face of that," West told reporters after the first meeting. "We are in discussion with many countries of the world. Because, terrorism is a global threat," said West. He said terrorism was an international phenomenon and the problem should be resolved bilaterally and internationally. The UK minister said the terrorist in Bangladesh and the UK could have links sometimes, using information and communication technologies. Mahmud said: "Terrorists have no boundary and they have connection among themselves, they assist each other. If we want to combat them, we must have network and cooperation among ourselves. "Hence, the UK-Bangladesh Joint Working Group." The meeting is a follow-up to the proposal made by the former British home secretary Jackie Smith during her trip to Bangladesh in April last year. "Under this working group, we have asked the UK side to form a cell for our border management. They too have responded very positively," said the state minister. The UK has pledged to provide equipment for special case of terrorist threat at the airports, he said. "We have also discussed ways of sharing information." Both the ministers said the modalities of the working group would be fixed up at the next meeting likely to take place by the end of this year.