The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh and India could not reach any agreement over the crucial issue of demarcation of their maritime boundary in the energy-rich Bay of Bengal, during the 3-day parley, which concluded in Dhaka yesterday.

"We agreed to disagree, we sat to reach understanding," MAK Mahmood, additional foreign secretary, told reporters at the end of the hectic negotiations that took place after 28 years.

The last meeting was in 1982 and it ended after preliminary talks. over demarcation of the boundary.

MAK Mahmood said, "We've difference of opinion on the flow of the common river Haribhanga."

The Indian side claimed that midstream flows on the eastern side of the Haribhanga while Bangladesh claimed that it flows on the western side of the river.

The Hariabhanga River is located at the estuary near the disputed Talpatty Island in the Bay of Bengal. Over the years the river has changed its course.

Mahmood said Bangladesh placed all data and documents in support of their arguments and positions. The Indian side did the same.

"It's like a brainstorming session," he said, adding that exclusive economic zone, continental shelf and territorial coastline all came up for discussion.

Asked if they made any progress, Mahmood in a diplomatic parlance said a meeting after a break of 28 years is itself a progress.

Indian team leader and chief hydrographer Rear Admiral BR Rao, while quickly leaving the meeting at the Foreign Ministry, said: "We had wonderful discussion. We discussed various options and methodologies."

He said it was a technical-level meeting and more discussions would take place in future.

Bangladesh shares the bay with India and Myanmar but has not demarcated the sea territory with them, which is creating disputes mainly over offshore search of oil and gas. None of the countries have yet claimed their marine boundaries in the UN.

Back in June, New Delhi and Yangon strongly opposed Bangladesh's offshore block bidding for exploration of oil and gas. Previously, Dhaka raised objections when India and Myanmar floated an international tender for searching offshore in 2006, accusing them of overlapping Bangladesh territory but did not get any reply from India.

Officials said the two sides discussed the matter of 'starting point' in drawing the dividing line from the coastline to the exclusive economic zone that has apparently overlapped claims of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar due to the funnel-like shape of the Bay of Bengal.

The Bay of Bengal has become very important, especially after India's discovery of 100tn cubic feet (tcf) gas in 2005-06 and Myanmar's discovery of 7 tcf gas at the same time. Besides, India also discovered two billion barrels of oil.

The bay in Bangladesh's territory, which has not been tapped at all, promises huge natural resources, experts say. In 2006, sedimentary rock oolite was discovered, which promises oil and gas.

India and Myanmar need to finish the maritime demarcation with Bangladesh shortly as they are set to file their claims to the UN on June 29 and May 21 next year respectively.

Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Bangladesh also has to file its claim within July 27, 2011.

Bangladesh is yet to make any progress in preparing its papers with proper boundary survey due to lack of experience, skilled manpower and equipment. The government is planning to take help from the US, Britain and Australia, sources in the foreign ministry said.