Dhaka cold shoulders India's "transit proposal"

Dhaka, July 13 (PTI) - Bangladesh Saturday apparently cold shouldered a reported proposal by India for a five-year transit agreement that will allow New Delhi to transport goods to and from its north-eastern states through latter'sterritory.

"I wish to announce unequivocally and firmly that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh will never, under no circumstances, agree to any arrangement that is contrary to our sovereign national interest," ForeignAdviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said in a statement here.

The statement referred to reports that India has asked Dhaka that such an agreement be signed during foreignsecretary level talks scheduled for July 17-18 in New Delhi.

"We are prepared to negotiate with any other country on any subject, but no solution can ever be imposed on us without our consent....This is an axiomatic truth of our diplomacy,"the Advisor said.

Chowdhury's comments came days after India renewed its call for allowing it a transit route, a sensitive issue inBangladesh which has been rejected by previous governments.

"Of course, we did discuss this (transit) at every forum.

At each and every forum we raise this issue," Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty told reporters two days ago. The envoy also urged Dhaka to view the issue from an"economic perspective".

Foreign ministry officials earlier said Indian authorities had suggested an agreement for regulation of passenger andcargo vehicular traffic between the countries.

They, however, said the ministry was expected to convene an inter-ministerial meeting soon to finalise the country's position on the "most sensitive issue" in Indo-Bangladesh relations that was "carefully avoided by the two previousgovernments" fearing political backlash.