"Bangladesh would get duty free access of its garment products"-Yunus & Abed to Hillary

                                               
                        Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus & Brac founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed


Dhaka, May 6 -- Brac founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus on Sunday said they hoped that Bangladesh would get duty free access of its garment products as they discussed the issue in an hour-long breakfast meeting with Hilary Rodham Clinton at the US ambassador's residence in Gulshan.

Abed and Yunus told reporters waiting outside the ambassador Dan Mozena's residence that issues of Bangladesh's development and empowerment of women dominated the meeting where they also discussed "various national and regional issues".

Yunus said they focused on the issue of employment of women to justify the need for allowing duty free access of Bangladesh's garment products to the US market.

"If Bangladesh gets duty free access, it will create employment for millions of women. We told her to consider (allowing duty free access of garment products) from this angle. It will make women self-reliant," Yunus said.

According to security officials, Yunus had arrived at 8am at the ambassador's residence, Sir Fazle at 8:15 and then Clinton reached around 9:15am.

Hillary Clinton arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on a less than 24-hour trip