Bus services agreed

CALCUTTA, Jan 27: India and Bangladesh today agreed in principle to run bus services between the two countries, and cooperate in areas of common concern, including energy, trade and transport, reports BSS.

The Foreign Ministers level meeting would be held some time in March to further discuss these issues, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh who had a 45-minute meeting with visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her hotel suite, told newsmen.

Sheikh Hasina had suggested that their discussion must be followed up by prompt action and the foreign ministers of the two countries should meet, Singh said.

Singh who arrived here by a special Indian airforce flight from Delhi to welcome the Bangladesh Prime Minister on behalf of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, said that the issues of common concern, especially energy, trade and transport had figured in at their talks.

The two countries have agreed in principle to run bus services between Petrapol and Jessore and between Agartala and Akhaura, Singh said.

He said that a trade fair in Dhaka was likely to be held at the beginning of March and the date of his visit to Bangladesh would be finalised after consultation.

Referring to the Indo-Bangla cooperation in energy sector, the external affairs minister said the Bangladesh Prime Minister had suggested joint ventures in her country to tap "great resources" of Bangladesh adding that India had agreed to examine these in detail.

As Singh refused to answer questions regarding trade balance between the two countries, his Bangladesh counterpart Abdus Samad Azad said that Sheikh Hasina had raised the issue during her meeting with Indian external affairs minister.

India's response on this issue, Azad said, was "good."

Earlier, Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee called on the Bangladesh Prime Minister and had a "friendly personal discussion."

Emerging from his meeting, Mukherjee said he did not carry any message from Congress President Sonia Gandhi. "We took the opportunity to review bilateral relations and to strengthen regional cooperation. We just shared our perception regarding prevailing political situation in the two countries," he said.