"We expect and encourage the government of Bangladesh to pass these laws as soon as possible," said Sergei Karev, delegation head of UN counter-terrorism committee executive directorate (CTED), after he met Foreign Adviser Iftekhar A Chowdhury at his office.

Karev said these laws are necessary to fulfil international legal conventions.

He however said the existence of draft anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering laws in Bangladesh suggest that the country does not need UN assistance regarding counter-terror legislation.

Karev commended the government for its 'very good' counter-terror steps and observed that Bangladesh needs assistance in training and recruitment of law enforcement agencies including the defence forces and the UN is willing to provide that assistance.

When asked if he learnt of any militant activities in the country from local intelligence agencies, he declined to make any comment.

Another group of the 11-member CTED delegation was visiting security facilities at Chittagong Port yesterday. Karev will leave Dhaka for Indonesia today on a similar CTED mission.