WB backs regional negotiations to meet power need

Dhaka, Jan 28 (bdprem.com) – The World Bank will back negotiations among Bangladesh, Nepal and India to meet the region's huge power needs and foster cooperation, a senior bank official said Monday. Your Ad Here The negotiations will guarantee a win-win situation for all countries and promote further integration among them, said the bank's vice president for South Asia Region Praful Patel. "India is very power hungry—perhaps the world's hungriest energy country—sitting in a region which has Bangladesh and Nepal, sources of very clean energy," Patel told reporters after a meeting with foreign affairs adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury. "So, it (WB) is really facilitating, putting these countries together over a table looking at examples like India's water treaty and other treaties and other frameworks that have been developed in other parts of the world to facilitate regional cooperation," he told bdnews24.com. Monday's meeting at the foreign ministry addressed three issues: regional cooperation, the bank assistance to the caretaker government in development projects, the bank's and ongoing support for Sidr-affected regions. Patel said they had approved a package of $370 million in post-cyclone assistance. Iftekhar said of the bank's Sidr assistance: "The bank has been extremely supportive. We discussed how the support would be channelled through the SAARC system." On the negotiations on India's power needs in the region, Patel said: "This is just the beginning of the consultation process which will involve talking with each of the countries on what are the concerns of the countries, what are the priorities." "(This involves) looking at examples like India's water treaty and other treaties and frameworks that have been developed in other parts of the world to facilitate regional cooperation," he said. Patel said he would go to Nepal and India from Dhaka to discuss some cross-country projects on power and water management. He leaves for Nepal on Jan 30. The South Asia region vice president arrived in Bangladesh on Dec 15, 2007.