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Sea Limit with India

Arbitration with UN to continue

Govt not ruling out bilateral negotiation too

Diplomatic Correspondent
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday ruled out any possibility of withdrawing Bangladesh's maritime boundary case against India, but said bilateral negotiations could take place alongside the arbitration on the basis of the prin-
ciples set by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea(ITLOS).
“There is no scope to withdraw the case because we went for arbitration since we did not get any solution through discussions with India,” she said replying to a question at a press conference at the foreign ministry yesterday.
Dhaka lodged the case against New Delhi with the UN's Permanent Court of Arbitration based in the Hague on October 8, 2009 after India unfairly cut off a significant portion of Bangladesh's maritime area in the Bay of Bengal.
The door for discussions is open if they (India) want that but the discussions are to be based on the ITLOS principles ensuring Bangladesh's legitimate rights alongside pursuing the case, Dipu Moni said.
Bangladesh always wants to resolve problems with its neighbours and others peacefully through discussion, she said. “We tried to settle the maritime dispute through discussion, but it did now work and thus we opted for an alternative path that is through arbitration.”
The foreign minister mentioned that the ITLOS (Based in Hamburg, Germany) through its March 14 judgment in the case against Myanmar has set certain principles regarding delimitation of the maritime boundary in the Bay.
Dipu Moni addressed the press conference in the context of the ITLOS judgment on March 14, which upheld Bangladesh's claim to 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and
territorial rights in the Bay against Myanmar's claim.
In reply to another question, she mentioned that Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran, who met her on Saturday, said New Delhi has not changed its earlier position that is solution through arbitration.
But talking to journalists after the hour-long talks with Dipu Moni, the envoy expressed India's strong willingness to discuss and resolve bilaterally the maritime boundary issue with Bangladesh.
Asked, Dipu Moni said yesterday Bangladesh will create oil and gas blocks within its maritime boundary determined by the ITLOS verdict.
The government has already taken some steps to strengthen the navy and will do whatever is necessary to safeguard the country's maritime territory.
Terming the ITLOS verdict historic and win-win for both Bangladesh and Myanmar, she said, "We have got what we wanted."
Additional Foreign Secretary (UNCLOS) Rear Admiral (retd) Khurshed Alam, who was the deputy agent of the case against Myanmar, told a questioner that earlier oil and gas blocks were created in the Bay without demarcation of the country's maritime boundary.
Now, Petrobangla and other authorities concerned can create blocks in the Bay since the boundary
with Myanmar was finalised, he added.
ISIISSUE
Responding to a query, the foreign minister said Dhaka will seek a transcript of the testimony given by an ex-ISI chief in the Supreme Court of Pakistan that the intelligence agency provided fund to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia during the 1991 general elections.
"Certainly we will seek a transcript. We can give details after getting the transcript. This is necessary to be sure what actually happened. We need to know what is actually written in the transcript,” she said.
Asked by this correspondent, Dipu Moni said, “What we know so far is from a report run by Khaleez Times." She hoped that the ministry would get a transcript of the testimony.
saudivisit
The foreign minister left Dhaka for Riyadh last night on a five-day visit to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier at the press conference, she had said she would hold talks with her Saudi counterpart in Riyadh tomorrow (Wednesday).
Dipu Moni mentioned that she had planned to visit the kingdom following the March 6 killing of a Saudi Embassy official in Dhaka. She wanted to pay the visit on her way back from Germany, but the Saudi foreign minister was not in Riyadh at that time. So, the visit was deferred.