India invites Bangladesh for border talks

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, APRIL 30. In a bid to address the root cause of the recent tensions with Bangladesh, the Government today invited Dhaka to send a team of senior officials at the earliest to discuss ways of finalising the boundary settlement between the two nations.

The Government's decision follows intensive internal deliberations over the last few days, and underscores India's political commitment to immediately clinch all outstanding issues holding up the implementation of the 1974 boundary agreement.

In a note verbale given to the Bangladesh High Commission today, the Foreign Office suggested that official delegations from the two sides meet here during May 22-25 ``to discuss all pending matters'' on the land boundary ``with a view to their early resolution''.

India and Bangladesh have already delineated much of their 4,000- km-long border, except for about 6.5 km. There is also the unresolved issue of ``adverse possessions'', of territories acknowledged as belonging to one side but being held by the other. The demarcation of the remaining boundary and the exchange of adverse possessions could help India ratify the 1974 boundary agreement.

The Foreign Office spokesman said India hoped that Dhaka would either quickly confirm these dates or come up with an alternative proposal. If Dhaka agrees with the idea of immediate parleys, the talks are likely to be at the functional level between the two foreign offices.

India hopes Dhaka will recognise the urgency of imparting some momentum to these talks. India had invited the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary for talks on boundary issues in December 1999. But he could fetch up in the Indian capital only at the end of 2000.

The talks between the Foreign Secretaries then produced an agreement to set up two joint working groups on outstanding boundary issues. India communicated a draft understanding on the terms of reference for these working groups in February this year. Bangladesh is yet to get back. India hopes that the proposed talks would clear the terms of reference and allow the two sides to move quickly towards finalisation of the boundary agreement.

Informed sources here said the Indian proposal for talks at the official level was separate from the plans announced in Dhaka for a visit here by the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Ms. Sheikh Hasina, in mid-May. India is ready to receive her at the earliest.

Ms. Hasina, who is facing elections later this year, is bound to step down, according to the Bangladesh Constitution, a few weeks before polling takes place. It is not clear whether the two sides have enough time for substantive negotiations in the next three months, before she steps down in July.

But if there is political will on both sides, it should not be impossible to sort out the remaining problems on the boundary through a continuous negotiation in the next few weeks. That would however call for quite a bit of courage and conviction on both sides, and some what faster decision-making in Dhaka.

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