Dhaka: Republican senator John McCain, who lost the November four US presidential election to Barack Obama, arrived in Dhaka this evening as part of his broader regional trip to Asia.

Foreign Adviser of the interim government Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury received the high profile guest as a special aircraft landed at Dhaka s Zia International Airport carrying McCain along with two other senators Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham.

"He will hold a breakfast meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed tomorrow morning ahead of his departure after a less then 12-hour visit to Dhaka," a foreign ministry spokesman told PTI without elaborating.

The US embassy and the foreign ministry officials declined to give any details on McCain's visit details though earlier reports said they could also meet with political party leaders and civil society members.

The three senators are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with Senator McCain serving as its Ranking Member.

Foreign relations experts and analysts said the visit was "significant" with regard to US's strategic relations with South Asian nations.

"The United States has entered into a new strategic relation with India keeping an eye on China and South Asian countries," security think tank Bangladesh Institute for Peace and Security Studies (BIPS) chief retired major general ANM Muniruzzaman told PTI.

Source : PTI