Bangladesh fired its Irst salvo against Ilie >lg neighbour India when Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia stated at the United Nations General Assembly that India's unilateral withdrawal of the Ganges water at Farakka Barrage is causing a disaster for Bangladesh.

"We have not as yet succeeded In effectively convincing India about our fair Share of the water resources of the common rivers flowing through the two countries. Our two countries share 54 common rivers.' Historically and under international law, we have an inherent and legal right to the water resources of the common rivers." Begum Zia told in her strongly-worded statement at the 48th session of the UN General Assembly on October 1."

She said that India has been unilaterally withdrawing the .Ganges water in the upstream since the completion of the • Farakka Barrages. Withdrawal of water during the dry season causes serious drought while release of excess water during the rainy season creates severe floods in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister added.

She said that this had created unimaginable adverse ef-

feets on the economy and environment of Bangladesh. The pledges made by India at the time of commissioning the Farakka Barrage remain unfulfilled to date. This unilateral withdrawal of water, in complete disregard of the interests of the people of Bangladesh, has brought over 40 million people in the Ganges or rather the Padma basin face to face with a catastrophic, disaster.

"The Farakka. Barrage has become an issue of life and death for us," Prime Minister Begum Zia told the foreign leaders at the UN, adding that "due to ■ the obstruction of natural flow at Farakka a process of desertification is evident throughout the northern and western parts of Bangladesh."

This was for the first time a head of government of Bangladesh made such a critical statement against its neighbour Indiq.

Because of the statement, .India has expressed Its iinhappiness by saying that it is a bilateral issue and a process Is on to solve it. To India, Bangladesh has

unnecessarily drummed up the issue by placing it ■ at the United Nations.

Experts, however, feel that Bangladesh had no option but to raise the water issue at the UN, as it was influenced by the people's sentiment, which happens be one of the determinants of foreign policy direc-tlons>lsewhere. too. The foreign policy is also seen as an extension of the domestic policy. Since the flow of water touched the lowest ever recorded in the Padma, the country's policy makers deemed it fit to take the issue to a international forum, a researcher of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BUSS) said.

He, however, disagreed with the way the country presented it to the international forum.

"It should have been placed before the international body in a very organised way.” he said requesting anonymity. He said that Bangladesh should have done the ground-work by consulting friendly countries by way of seeking their support before raising the issue at the UN.

The researcher qaid that the relation between the two countries would not be seriously affected because of Bangladesh's stand on the issue was prompted by India's 'slow diplomacy.' The Prime Minister's visit to Nepal has been considered as a follow-up step. Indian Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao is expected to visit Bangladesh in January to discuss the issue.

Relations with another neighbour Myanmar became strained over the issue of some 250.O00 refugees who took shelter in the makeshift camps In Cox's Bazar and Rangafnati. Bangladesh took a firm stand to repatriate the Muslim refugees known as Rohingyas which at one point threatened to Jeopardize the relations with Yangon as well as those with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR condemned Bangladesh accusing that the refugees were being forced to return to their homeland. Dhaka denied the allegations. Tension was defused after the visit of UNHCR Chief

Sadako Ogata and a Myanmar minister. Repatriation began under an agreement between the two countries. Some 50.000 refugees have returned to their • homeland under supervision of the UNHCR but the diplomatic circles termed the progress slow.

The major credentials Bangladesh earned from regional diplomatic circles was the holding of the twice-postponed Seventh SAARC Summit in Dhaka. The summit was originally scheduled for Decem-’ber. 1992 but stumbled because of communal violence that flared up in the region fob lowing Babri Mosque demolition in India.

According to diplomatic sources, considerable progress has been made to settle the tribal refugees Issue with India. India now seems to resolve the issue. Several rounds of talks with the Indian authorities and the PCJgS have paved way for the repatriation of several thousands tribal refugees living in different camps in the Indian state of Tripura. The all-party parliamentary committee

has made its contribution lo the turn of events there. India has also withdrawn its so-called ’push-back" programme under which several hundred Bengali speaking people were sought to be pushed across the Bangladesh border.

During the year. Bangladesh participated In a number of peacekeeping mission under UN umbrella. The country has* participated in-monitoring elections In Namibia, policing ceasefire in the Gulf, clearing mines and contributing to reconstruction in Kuwait, and also assisted UN peace mission in Cambodia. Somalia'and Mozambique.

Bangladesh has also partic-pated In the summits of different internatiAnal organisations like non-aligned movement and the Commonwealth.

The foreign policy experts gave a split opinion over last year’s diplomatic performances but all agreed that the year 1993 was a turning polnj for Bangladesh in terms of foreign' policy.

"Many things depend pn followup." one BilSS'expert said adding that "it is difficult to comment now on whhat the countries will achieve fXpm its new diplomatic approach .