PM's trips to France, Malta cancelled

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official visits to Malta and France have been cancelled considering the overall situation at home and Paris, diplomatic sources have said.

She was scheduled to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta on November 27-29 and the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP21, in Paris from November 30 to December 1.

Despite security concerns after the November 13 terror attacks in Paris that killed 129 people, the host countries of the two summits are going ahead as per the schedules  but with enhanced security measures.

Earlier this week, the PM cancelled another official visit to Paris to attend the two-day Leaders' Forum of the General Conference of the Unesco slated for November 16-18 in view of evolving situation in France.

Though the government has not shown any reason behind the cancellation of the trips, diplomatic sources said the government in consultation with the Commonwealth Headquarters and the French government decided not to go following the terror attacks in France.

Officials at both the Prime Minister's Office and the foreign ministry gave no specific reason behind the cancellation of the PM's participations in these two highly-important summits where over 100 heads of state and government are expected to assemble.

Meantime, the foreign minister's yesterday's press briefing on the Bangladesh delegation's participation in the CHOGM has been cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances".

Diplomatic sources said over 30 heads of government have confirmed their attendance for the CHOGM.

Around 5,000 delegates and 1,000 journalists are going to Malta, an island state in the Mediterranean Sea, to attend the Commonwealth meet. Malta is hosting the meeting for a second time, having successfully done so in 2005.

Foreign ministry sources said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali is likely to lead the Bangladesh delegation in the CHOGM on behalf of the prime minister.

French President Francois Hollande on Monday announced that the climate conference would go ahead to "show that the world must stay united against terrorism".

But the UN climate summit will be "reduced to the negotiation" and that "sideline" cultural events such as a scheduled concert might be cancelled in order to prioritise security for "negotiators, scientists and journalists".

More than 100 world leaders are due to open the COP21 negotiations on November 30.

Close to 50,000 participants are expected to travel to Paris for the COP21, which some view as the last chance to strike a global agreement on combating climate change. It would be one of the largest international conferences held in France.