ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

by Siddique Islam | Dhaka – Bangladesh is going to send a high-level delegation, headed by the Foreign Secretary, to Rangoon on Wednesday to defuse tension between the two countries.

Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Advisor Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury summoned Burmese Ambassador U Phae Thann Oo to the Foreign Ministry in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Monday and conveyed his government's intent.

The Foreign Affairs Advisor told the Ambassador that Bangladesh views Burma as "a friendly country" with which Bangladesh has "growing cooperation" and that the current situation concerning the maritime zone was a "most unfortunate development."

Dr. Chowdhury also informed the Burmese envoy that the government has decided its delegation will be headed by Foreign Secretary M. Touhid Hossain.

Bangladesh and Burma are already scheduled to hold talks in Dhaka on the delimitation of boundaries between the two countries from December 16-17, Dr. Chowdhury told reporters after the meeting.

The advisor added, "We had lodged a very strong protest on Sunday. I also told the Myanmar [Burmese] Ambassador on Monday that we would take all possible measures to protect our sovereignty."

On Sunday, the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh called the Burmese Ambassador to lodge a protest concerning the presence of Burmese vessels in Bangladesh waters. He requested, at the behest of the government of Bangladesh, that Burma immediately suspend all activities within the declared maritime zones of Bangladesh in accordance with the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act of 1974.

The protest emphasized that the Bangladesh government reserves the right to protect its interests and urged the Burmese authorities to ensure the withdrawal of their vessels and stop any exploration work until the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the two countries is resolved.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Advisor chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting at the Foreign Ministry on Monday regarding follow-up actions to the visit of General Maung Aye, Senior Vice-General of Burma, who paid a visit to Bangladesh the month previously.

The meeting reviewed progress in areas such as border trade, rice purchase, contract farming, road building and boundary delimitation issues, the Foreign Ministry said.

Dr. Chowdhury, in his press statement, stressed the importance of coordinated government and private sector actions so that Bangladesh can derive maximum benefit from relations with Burma.