Donald Lu due in Dhaka to fix future work plans

US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu is expected to visit Bangladesh this month to hold discussions with the interim government over the relations between the two countries.

He will lead a senior-level US delegation during the visit, according to a diplomatic source.

The diplomatic source said the US wants to hold discussions with the interim government to fix future work plans.

 For this, the two countries are in discussion to finalize different aspects of the visit, the source said on Tuesday.

This will be the first such visit from the US since the formation of the interim government led by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus on August 8.

Once finalized, the delegation is likely to visit Dhaka before Yunus’s departure for New York to attend the 79th UN General Assembly, the source said.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey W Ford will also be part of the US delegation, said a diplomatic source.

In this role, she serves as the principal advisor to senior leadership within the Department of Defense for all policy matters pertaining to the development and implementation of defence strategies and plans for the region.

Her area of responsibility includes bilateral security relations with India and all other South Asian countries, except Afghanistan, and with the nations of Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Deputy Under Secretary for International Finance at the US Department of the Treasury Brent Neiman may also join the delegation.

There might be a representative from the USAID as well.

The delegation will meet Chief Adviser Professor Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed apart from their other engagements.