DHAKA: India said on Sept. 9 it would not link its plea for a land route through Bangladesh to the resolution of a long running water sharing dispute. “It is the Bangladesh what is in (Banglad‘s) best interest,” Foreign Minister I.K.. Gujral said before leaving at the end of a visit to Bang h. “There is no demand for transit from (the) New Delhi government.| have not even dis cussed the transit issue with leaders here,” he said. New Delhi earlier proposed a land transport route through Bangladesh to serve India’s isolated north eastern states. Bangladesh virtually cuts off these states from the rest of India, with poo having to travel a much longer route through the north Indian state of Assam to reach other parts of the subcontinent. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist and some fringe groups have op posed the transit route. Gujral said he had “fruitful discussions” on water sharing with Bangladeshi leaders said experts from both countries would meet “almost immediately” to sort out details for reaching an agreement. Asked how close an agreement was, Gujral said: “As close as two hearts can be.” Bangladesh insisted on an agreement on sharing the flow of the Ganges river by December.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 18, 1996
