Participants at the meeting also vowed afresh to strengthen the organisation to face the challenges of the new millennium and thus ensure the welfare of millions of people dependent on jute production and processing. The meeting was called to discuss the current crisis in IJO triggered by the pullout of India on January 7 and the notification of withdrawal by Thailand from March 22.

Heads of missions and the representatives of member countries, including Denmark, Egypt, the European Union (EU), France, Italy, Indonesia, Germany, Japan, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Britain and Bangladesh, attended the meeting. Even though a strategy to bring back members who had left the organisation was mooted, the participants were told that the operational capability of IJO would not be impaired by the departureof India and Thailand.

Bangladesh's jute secretary Mahfuzul Islam briefed the participants on the initiatives taken by his country, which is the IJO's leading member, to deal with the present crisis. The Indian government had informed the International Jute Council (IJC) in April last year of its decision to pull out of the organisation. It said the IJO was established with a certain mandate in mind which India felt had not been fulfiled.

India said it had committed itself very seriously to the IJA's attaining the goal of increasing production and consumption of jute. But the organisation frustrated its efforts at a very crucial time when negotiations for renewal of IJO mandate were about to begin, it claimed.

But IJO officials claim the Indian decision followed the failure of its nominee to get elected to the post of chief executive director at a meeting of the IJC in Dhaka in March last year. The country's candidate, DP Bagchi, was said to be a senior government official with a vast experience in thejute sector. His election would have certainly helped the organisation, said officials in Indian High Commission.

The Thai government notified its withdrawal last month. Bangladesh State Minister for Jute AK Fezul Haq reaffirmed his country's commitment to the IJO and assured all possible cooperation to overcome existing problems.

Reiterating the importance of jute to the Bangladesh economy, he said over three million were engaged in jute farming, 2,00,000 workers were employed in the jute processing industry and another 1,00,000 in other jute-related businesses. Henri Jason, director and officer-in-charge of IJO, dwelt on the practical and legal implications of the failure to conclude a successor agreement before the expiry of the current pact in April 2000. European Commission officials pointed out that the position of the EU, which is the single largest importer of jute, on the future of IJO has not yet been finalised.