Kerry arrives today

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Dhaka this (Monday) morning on a nine-hour hop aimed at giving a new dimension to the Dhaka-Washington ties.
Diplomatic circles are keeping a keen eye on this important visit taking at a time when both Washington and Dhaka are closely working to combat terrorism following the militant attack on a Gulshan cafe on July 1.
The US Secretary of State will be here in the morning by a special aircraft and  he will leave for New Delhi later in the evening to attend a scheduled meeting on 'US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue' tomorrow (Tuesday).
During his brief sojourn Kerry will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Mahmood Ali.
This is Kerry's first visit to Bangladesh after four years by his predecessor Hillery Clinton who visited Dhaka in May, 2012.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali looks forward to a fruitful discussions on bilateral and international issues with the US Secretary of State.
US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat earlier said there is 'constant evolution' more or less on the set agenda but new things like "blue economy" and opportunities that may promote common interests may come up.
The United States is already in discussions with Bangladesh about assistance package in countering terrorism and violent extremism taking Dhaka's need into consideration.
After the violent attack on a Gulshan cafe on July 1, Kerry had phoned Prime Minister Hasina and sent the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Nisha Desai Biswal to express Washington's solidarity with Bangladesh to fight terrorism and militancy.
"Bangladesh will convey its tougher stance against terrorism and militancy to Kerry," a foreign ministry official told the Daily Observer.
The government is also ready to respond reiterating its position on the 'people's demand' to continue the trials of war criminals 'if the issue comes up for discussions' at any stage, a senior leader of the ruling party Awami League told this correspondent.
John Kerry phoned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 11, 2013 to know about the trial process of the War Criminals when a special tribunal gave death sentence to Jamaat leader Quader Mollah for his crimes against humanity during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.
During the meeting Bangladesh may raise again the restoration of GSP facilities, duty- and quota-free access of Bangladeshi apparel to the US market and deportation of AM Rashed Chowdhury, a fugitive convicted killer in the Bangabandhu murder case, a source in the Foreign office confirmed.
US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat held several meetings at the Foreign Ministry in the past weeks to make the visit fruitful.
Bangladesh and the United States will have security dialogue in Dhaka in October.
On February 19 last, Mahmood Ali invited his US counterpart to visit Bangladesh. John Kerry responded 'very positively'.
Besides his official meetings Kerry will exchange views with civil society representatives and media persons during his brief stay in Dhaka.