Dhaka, May Brac founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus said they hoped that Bangladesh would get duty free access of its garment products as the duo pressed US secretary of state Hilary Rodham Clinton for it in an hour-long breakfast meeting on Sunday.
After the meeting at the US ambassador Dan W Mozena's residence in Gulshan, Abed and Yunus told reporters waiting outside that issues of Bangladesh's development and empowerment of women dominated their talks when they also discussed "various national and regional issues".
And obviously the Grameen Bank and its future. But Yunus was reluctant to provide any details.
Yunus said they particularly focused on the issue of employment of women as a way of justifying the need for allowing duty free access of Bangladesh's garment products to the US market.
Last year, Bangladesh earned about $18 billion in exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe. Exporters have long been demanding duty free access of Bangladesh's garment products to the US market, saying dropping the duty will send exports soaring.
Bangladesh's garment industry has employed about 2.5 million people, mostly women, bringing them out from their conservative families as Bangladesh has earned recognition as a moderate Muslim-majority nation.
In the meeting with Hillary, the leading development practitioners on Sunday just added their voices with the government for the cause given their high acceptance to the US.
But they have their own way to press it.
"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.
The Nobel laureate, also a family friend of the Clintons, said that they pitched for duty free access, saying "it would empower women and Bangladesh would develop."
Abed was also hopeful that the US would grant the access soon.
The Brac founder said that development and women empowerment prominently came up in their discussion.
He said they discussed "what could fuel it (development) and what would empower women".
Yunus added that the talks also included Bangladesh's prospect in the future and its achievement until now.
"Hillary Clinton first came to Bangladesh 17 years ago. We had taken her to different places and she had talked to a lot of people. Now those people have kids, there is a new generation."
"We would have been happier if she had more time in hand and could meet with the new generation," Yunus said.
Replying to reporters' queries on if the Grameen Bank issues came up in the meeting, Yunus declined to elaborate but said "We have talked about micro-credit and Grameen Bank's current state."
"It would be better not to go into details."
The US secretary of state arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on a less than 24-hour visit. She will depart for Kolkata Sunday afternoon.
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