http://www.newagebd.com/2008/apr/02/front.html#8
New Age, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Maritime talks ends inclusive - Another meeting likely in June
By Raheed Ejaz
The two-day technical meeting of Bangladesh and Myanmar on the
delimitation of maritime boundary ended inconclusive as the parties
failed to narrow down their differences on a number of issue including
the process of demarcation in the Bay of Bengal and unimpeded passage
for Yangon in the Naf.
As the Dhaka meeting ended inconclusive, both the countries hope to
sit again sometime in June in Myanmar to resolve the technical issues
to pave the way for the final decision.
'Myanmar proposed a joint survey on the maritime boundary
delimitation which is not acceptable to us as the area in the sea is
internationally recognised as part of Bangladesh,' a source told New
Age after the meeting Tuesday evening.
Additional foreign secretary MAK Mahmood led an 18-member
Bangladesh delegation to the talks and Muang Oo Lwin led a 10-member
Myanmar delegation.
The source told newsmen that Dhaka had proposed making a joint
inspection in this regard. Touching on the other unresolved issue at
the meeting, he said Myanmar wanted unimpeded passage in the Naf.
Dhaka, however, did not agree to give any positive response to
Yangon's request arguing that it was already sympathetic towards
Myanmar's movement in the bordering river.
Officials said Bangladesh pressed for early settlement of the
maritime disputes with Myanmar at the meeting by providing sup****ting
data on its claim to the maritime area.
Dhaka opted to resume negotiations with Yangon as the delay in
settling the demarcation disputes allowed India and Myanmar to creep
into the Bangladesh waters.
An official said recent developments in bilateral ties with Myanmar
had made it easier to put forward the issue for discussion.
Foreign ministry officials said Bangladesh had carried out three
surveys after independence with the assistance of the United States,
Germany and France.
'The first survey was conducted by the Ocean Drilling Programme of
the United States, the second by Germany on a joint-venture initiative
of the Geo-Scientific and Resources Institute and Bremen University
and the third by College de France, that ended in December,' said an
official.
As for outcome of the surveys, the official said Bangladesh had
received some 'raw data' from the US survey, but it had not received
any data from the German venture.
He was, however, hopeful about the third survey, saying that the
data would be available in eight months.
Another official said, 'We hope to provide the United Nations with
the data in favour of our claims earlier than the deadline of 2011.'
Bangladesh is preparing its case for gas exploration, but has not
been able to invite tenders for block bidding as the maritime boundary
has not been demarcated.
India, Myanmar and Bangladesh have not demarcated their waters in
the Bay of Bengal.
India and Myanmar have agreed on an 'equidistant' boundary allowing
both to explore gas in the Bay of Bengal.
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