NEW DELHI. May 4 Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said here today consultations for import of natural gas from Bangladesh are at an "Advanced stage" and there could be some agreement in this regard.

He said India is talking to Bangladesh for import of natural gas after certain difficulties cropped in the proposal to import the same from Iran through a land-based pipeline passing through Pakistan.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is very keen on the proposal and consultations are at advanced stages and there could be some agreement with that country." Vajpayee told parliament intervening during a reply by Petroleum Minister Ram Naik on a question on natural gas reserve in the-southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The Prime Minister's intervention came as Naik mentioned in reply to a supplementary by Congress member NKP Salve that Bangladesh had not agreed to supply gas to India and that country was yet to decide exporting natural gas.