Dhaka, March 4 -- Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has defended the controversial trade agreement with the United States, claiming that Bangladesh's two major political parties -- the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami -- had given their "consent" before the deal was finalised.

Addressing criticism from analysts concerning the interim government's mandate to sign such an accord, Khalilur clarified that the process was transparent.

"The US Trade Representative spoke with the heads of our two main parties before the election, and they agreed to it," he told reporters following a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Paul Kapur. "It is not as if we did this in the dark."

Khalilur, who served as national security advisor in the Muhammad Yunus-...