| DELHI TARGETS TALPATTI, OFFSHORE OIL India wants Dhaka's nod on maritime issue Moinuddin Naser in New York Though the sudden visit of Indian foreign secretary Shiv Sankar Menon to Bangladesh just at the advent of elections of the Indian Lok Sabha raised a lot of speculations in the media, the diplomatic circles in the United Nations confided to the Holiday that the visit was mainly related to submission of the Indian claim on the South Talpatty to the United Nations. No time to wait India wants to be certain that Bangladesh would not raise any objection against Delhi's claim on the South Talpatti and the water territory in the Bay of Bengal, while the country will have to submit its claim on June 29 this year under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). To fulfil its target India has got no time to wait until the end of election. Of course Mynamar will have to submit this claim under UNCLOS on May 21, this year. Bangladesh will have to submit its claim before July 27, 2011. UN Law of the Sea The sources said that meanwhile pending the resolution to maritime boundary with Bangladesh, India has already started exploration of oil and gas near South Talpatty. If India claims the maritime boundary near South Talpatty, and Bangladesh raises objection against the claim, that will create an international issue, while the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is very sensitive in maintaining peace in delimiting the water boundary of all countries. The law is also specific in this regard. During the First week of November last year, the naval forces of Myanamar and Bangladesh came face to face in the Bay of Bengal, when South Korean Company Daewoo had started exploration work in AD Block and Bangladesh noticed that attempt on November 2, 2008. But Bangladesh Navy remained silencet about the Indian activities near Talpatti. India already started exploration under sixth round of new exploration licensing policy. Two marine blocks for oil and gas close to the Sundarbans of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal are being explored. The oil and gas hungry Indian Foreign Secretary's visit to Bangladesh, though was very untimely just prior to the election of India, but he could not wait but to come at that time as he has to finish his claim on the water territory to submit that before the United Nations. The diplomatic sources, on condition of anonymity, said the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in the UN was not briefed as to how they would react to that issue in the United Nations, when the report will be submitted. But by now the Bangladesh mission must have taken preparation to deal with India and Myanmar both efficiently and effectively. Goals, "dos and don'ts" The sources further disclosed that there were three definite goals of Shiv Sankar Menon in Bangladesh. First, delimitation of maritime boundary; second, to convince Bangladesh not to raise any objection against exploration of oil and gas in two blocks within Bangladesh maritime boundary; and third, the"dos and don'ts" on the part of Bangladesh regarding the BDR massacre. In addition to these three issues Menon also made it clear to the Bangladesh Government that Moyeen U Ahmed is their man of trust and Bangladesh should not be persistent to give objection against the Tipaimukh dam on Barak river. Earlier Bangladesh raised the issue to the United Nation Environment Programme and said that the dam would wreak havoc on the environment at the north eastern part of Bangladesh and India. Menon also gave standing offer to Foreign Minister Dipu Moni to visit the area to see for herself that the dam will not be that much environmentally disastrous. 200 nautical miles It may be mentioned that the international law allows every country to have and use 200 nautical miles from its coast to the sea. But the Indian side did not want to go by that law. Since 1980, India used forces to occupy the South Talpatty, by violating all norms. On many occasions in the past when Bangladesh Navy wanted to move around the Bangladesh's normal economic zone, they came under attack by the Indian Navy. Still India is hoisting its flag there. India side using its forced claimed that the law gave rise to tricky situation as the coasts of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar follow a curve, which implies overlapping of territory. That has led to the disagreement on their maritime border. Committee of 2004 In the year 2004, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry in order to find out a way to mark the deep-sea territory fulfilling requirements of the UN and as per the law of the sea formed a committee with members from Petrobangla, Geological Survey of Bangladesh, the Navy, SPAARSO, Inland Water Transport Authority and Surveyor of Bangladesh. But the committee is yet to produce any report, which could be a tool for the Bangladesh Mission to deal with India in the UN. India and the international oil exploring companies believe that the Bay of Bengal is full of oil. 28 blocks were demarcated by Bangladesh, and some of them were leased out to foreign companies, specially to the US companies during 1990s. But the decision of Bangladesh was objected by both India and Myanmar. Now India is exploring inside Bangladesh territory without caring for international norms, while Myanmar remained silent after the tension between the two countries during last November. India's Bangladesh policy It is learnt that now India could effectively convince the US administration not to interfere in the oil and gas exploration by India at the Bay of Bengal, while India has clearly supported the Obama's policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan. Diplomatic sources said that so long America will get support of India regarding its Afghan policy it will not disturb India regarding its policy towards Bangladesh and other small states in the eastern sides. It may be mentioned that just prior to 10 days of the death of Ziaur Rahman in the year 1981, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry published the white paper on South Talpatti. After that no substantive work has been done to establish the claim of Bangladesh on that great island. India wants to settle the score on Maritime territorial boundary of Bangladesh to its advantage, while Bangladesh government is warned about the rise of 'fundamentalism.' at home front. |
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