Dhaka, Feb. 16 -- The interim government has issued a media statement asserting that the agreement between Dhaka and Washington will expand investment and trade.

The statement, released on Sunday, said the agreement, titled Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), signed on Feb 9, offers "special privileges" for the textile and ready-made garments (RMG) sector.

The agreement reduced US supplementary duty on Bangladeshi products from 20 percent to 19 percent.

The government, however, had remained silent about what the pact actually has to offer Bangladesh.

The statement claimed credit for reducing the US-imposed supplementary duty by one percent after nearly nine months of continuous negotiations and bargaining.

It said the agreement enco...