US human rights report will not affect bilateral relations: Salman F Rahman

The US human rights report on Bangladesh will not affect the bilateral relations between the two countries, said Prime Minister's private industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman.

"Not only Bangladesh but the reports the US prepare on other countries are based on locals' opinion. Therefore, not all reports contain accurate information, moreover, they are not investigated. So not all human rights reports are accurate," he told the media after a courtesy call on Peter Haas, the new US Ambassador to Bangladesh at Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) on Monday (18 April).

Bangladesh prepares human rights reports on the basis of specific information from concerned individuals, said Salman and added that the report will not affect bilateral relations between the US and Bangladesh.

Salman urged the US to increase investment in sectors other than energy.

He also noted that in May, a delegation of 22 US companies will visit Bangladesh to discuss the increase in investment in other sectors.

Regarding the long-standing demand of Bangladeshi businessmen to be given the GSP facility for cotton from the United States, Salman said that the task is not an easy one.

The relevant US law needs to be changed to introduce the GSP facility which was discontinued in 2013, he explained.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas termed the meeting a successful one.

"We discussed the economic cooperation between our two countries. I told Mr Rahman that economy can be a field of joint development for us," he said.

Regarding the US human rights report, the ambassador said, "We prepare the human rights report based on specific information after talking to many concerned people."

However, the report will not affect bilateral relations between the two countries, he added.