India, Bangla Foreign Secy talks focus on terror

With Bangladesh-based terror outfit, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami being linked to several terror attacks in India..

With Bangladesh-based terror outfit, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) being linked to several terror attacks in India, including the Mumbai train blasts in 2006, the talks between Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Touhid Hossain on Thursday centred around strengthening the ties between the two countries, particularly on security issues. “We are convinced that our security is interlinked and that terrorism will have to be tackled resolutely,” said Menon after the talks. It is also likely that Chief of Army Staff Deepak Kapoor and Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta will soon visit Dhaka to further address the issue.

Responding to a question on whether HuJI’s activities came up during the talks, Menon said, “We discussed the issue of terrorism and how we both need to face it together. The details, of course, are dealt with in other fora. We have other places where we discuss these things, the Home Secretaries’ talks and so on. And we look forward to working together against terrorism.” In agreement, Hossain added, “I fully agree with what he has said. I just have to add one thing that we think this is a global problem. We have a mechanism for cooperation in this sector and we will continue to do that.”

The two Foreign Secretaries also agreed that the bilateral technical committee on the controversial water issue should meet soon to expedite resolution of the disputes. The countries have been embroiled in a war of accusations regarding the construction of concrete embankments on the Mahananda river.

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“I am confident that this round of Foreign Office Consultations helped build trust and understanding between our two countries, and we look forward to continuing this process,” Menon said during a joint press conference after what he described as a “very friendly, open, cordial and substantive,” meeting and asserted, “The discussions were very useful and have led to much greater understanding of each other’s concerns and interests.” Hossain, who has invited Menon to Bangladesh, described the talks as “candid, comprehensive and forward-looking” and added, “We did not shy away from discussing all issues which we considered important.” For India, Menon said, “relations with Bangladesh are a matter of the highest priority.”

Besides the common issues of security, the two sides also discussed other aspects of bilateral relations, including water, trade and commerce and connectivity, as well as a proposal for cooperation in agriculture, science and technology.