Bangladesh and India, both now having new governments, opened official talks at the foreign secretary level yesterday in a bid to forge a new horizon of understanding.

The nearly one and a half hours meeting was led by Foreign Secretary Farooq Sobhan on the home side and visiting Indian External Affairs Secretary Salman Haider, who arrived in the city on Friday on a three-day visit.

Emerging from the talks. I Farooq Sobhan told waiting ' newsmen "We are on good | track. We have marked a forward movement."

I Sobhan added that the two | sides have discussed everything and "we expect some quick results."

Asked to explain, he said that although the main objective of the Indian foreign secretary's visit was to deliver a message from Prime Minister Deve Gowda to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina "We took the opportunity to discuss bilateral as well as international issues."

Responding to a question if there has been any agreement on any issue such as water sharing. Sobhan replied: "He (Haider) has not come with any mandate."

He said that the Indian foreign secretary had shown enormous goodwill of his government and emphasised solution of bilateral issues in the interest ol improving relations between the two closest neigh hours

At the talks. Hairier was as stated by Dev Mukherjee. In dlan High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ranjan Mathal. Joint Secretary Ln the Indian foreign ministry

Sobhan was assisted by Ad dltlonal Foreign Secretary Ahmed Tartar Karim and Direr tor (.eneral Shamim Ahmed

The two lorelgn secretaries had an exclusive meeting be lore the commencement ol the formal talks

Earlier the Indian foreign secretary called on Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad and had talks with him for nearly half an hour He also tailed on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abu) Hasan Chowdhury

Tfte Indian foreign secretary is due to call on the fi nance minister, the water resources minister and the home secretary today.

He is also due to address a Stress briefing at 4 pm prior to its departure.