CaPtAiN_pLaNeT
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- May 10, 2010
- Messages
- 7,685
- Reaction score
- 0
Maritime boundary dispute
Dhaka may not accept Delhi's offer for talks
Dhaka may not accept Delhi's offer for talks
Nizam Ahmed
Bangladesh is unlikely to go for bilateral talks with India for settlement of its maritime boundary dispute.
"We will rather wait for a decision from the Hague-based Permanent Court on Arbitration. The court is scheduled to give its decision in this regard within the next two years," a senior official of the foreign ministry told the FE.
India has sought to start bilateral talks with Bangladesh after the latter had own a similar boundary dispute with Myanmar on Wednesday at the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS), in Hamburg, Germany.
"The offer for settlement of maritime dispute through talks was made officially on Saturday when Pankaj Saran, the High Commissioner of India, called on Foreign Minister Dipu Moni on a special assignment," the official said.
Saturday is generally a weekend in the country. Moreover, this Saturday was an official holiday on the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of the country's independence leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
It is believed that the foreign minister and senior officials rushed to the foreign office despite holiday to host the Indian envoy. This evoked much interest among the political observers.
Officials said India had earlier preferred the Hague-based Permanent Court on Arbitration when Bangladesh opted for settlement of its maritime boundary disputes with India and Myanmar through the ITLOS in 2009.
"We have waited decades for the settlement of the issue. Now it will not be much difficult for us to wait two more years to get the decision from the permanent court on arbitration," another senior official of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told the FE.
Both the officials requested anonymity as the issue is likely to spark a new diplomatic row between the two countries.
Settlement of the issue through bilateral negotiations may take more time, a former senior diplomat of the country said.
So, dependence on the international arbitration will be the most useful solution for Bangladesh, he added.
A section of former diplomats also smelt a rat in the Indian offer of talks on the issue. India has already encroached Bangladesh's territorial waters and never allowed Bangladeshi fishermen to fish in high seas.
India also opposed to Bangladesh's intentions to go for hydro-carbon exploration in the deep sea in the recent past.
Bangladesh leaders and officials must handle this issue cautiously, because the permanent court on arbitration has a provision to allow the parties to settle any dispute bilaterally, said the former diplomats.
In case the court on arbitration allows both the countries for a bilateral solution then Bangladesh may be dragged into a lengthy process of diplomatic negotiations which might prevent from asserting its rights on the maritime territory off India's eastern coast, they said.
Meanwhile Bangladesh's confidence on international entities, has been emboldened following the ILTOS verdict on the maritime dispute with Myanmar,
ITLOS awarded 111,000 sq km in the sea to Bangladesh which had claimed 107,000 sq km as its sovereign maritime boundary.
"Our initial claim itself showed that we lack in necessary technical know-how on the subject which we have been dealing with. We do not even know how much area we can claim legally in the sea," an analyst on energy affairs told the FE.
Political observers said the part experience of Bangladesh in bilateral talks with India was not encouraging. There were few subjects in which both sides could get a solution through dialogue unless intervened by the highest level of the two governments.
Reaching an agreement on sharing of the Gages waters was possible only following the intervention and willingness of the then two prime ministers in 1997.
Dhaka may not accept Delhi's offer for talks
Dhaka may not accept Delhi's offer for talks
Nizam Ahmed
Bangladesh is unlikely to go for bilateral talks with India for settlement of its maritime boundary dispute.
"We will rather wait for a decision from the Hague-based Permanent Court on Arbitration. The court is scheduled to give its decision in this regard within the next two years," a senior official of the foreign ministry told the FE.
India has sought to start bilateral talks with Bangladesh after the latter had own a similar boundary dispute with Myanmar on Wednesday at the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS), in Hamburg, Germany.
"The offer for settlement of maritime dispute through talks was made officially on Saturday when Pankaj Saran, the High Commissioner of India, called on Foreign Minister Dipu Moni on a special assignment," the official said.
Saturday is generally a weekend in the country. Moreover, this Saturday was an official holiday on the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of the country's independence leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
It is believed that the foreign minister and senior officials rushed to the foreign office despite holiday to host the Indian envoy. This evoked much interest among the political observers.
Officials said India had earlier preferred the Hague-based Permanent Court on Arbitration when Bangladesh opted for settlement of its maritime boundary disputes with India and Myanmar through the ITLOS in 2009.
"We have waited decades for the settlement of the issue. Now it will not be much difficult for us to wait two more years to get the decision from the permanent court on arbitration," another senior official of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told the FE.
Both the officials requested anonymity as the issue is likely to spark a new diplomatic row between the two countries.
Settlement of the issue through bilateral negotiations may take more time, a former senior diplomat of the country said.
So, dependence on the international arbitration will be the most useful solution for Bangladesh, he added.
A section of former diplomats also smelt a rat in the Indian offer of talks on the issue. India has already encroached Bangladesh's territorial waters and never allowed Bangladeshi fishermen to fish in high seas.
India also opposed to Bangladesh's intentions to go for hydro-carbon exploration in the deep sea in the recent past.
Bangladesh leaders and officials must handle this issue cautiously, because the permanent court on arbitration has a provision to allow the parties to settle any dispute bilaterally, said the former diplomats.
In case the court on arbitration allows both the countries for a bilateral solution then Bangladesh may be dragged into a lengthy process of diplomatic negotiations which might prevent from asserting its rights on the maritime territory off India's eastern coast, they said.
Meanwhile Bangladesh's confidence on international entities, has been emboldened following the ILTOS verdict on the maritime dispute with Myanmar,
ITLOS awarded 111,000 sq km in the sea to Bangladesh which had claimed 107,000 sq km as its sovereign maritime boundary.
"Our initial claim itself showed that we lack in necessary technical know-how on the subject which we have been dealing with. We do not even know how much area we can claim legally in the sea," an analyst on energy affairs told the FE.
Political observers said the part experience of Bangladesh in bilateral talks with India was not encouraging. There were few subjects in which both sides could get a solution through dialogue unless intervened by the highest level of the two governments.
Reaching an agreement on sharing of the Gages waters was possible only following the intervention and willingness of the then two prime ministers in 1997.
