Chittagong, Jan 8 (UNB) - Bangladesh and Myanmar both placed their respective proposals on demarcation of the maritime boundary as they opened here Friday two-day talks on a positive note to resolve the dispute over the mineral-rich waters of the Bay of Bengal.

There were, however, no concrete decisions on the first day of negotiations, taking place following diplomatic maneuverings after the two neighbors averted a near-confrontation when Bangladesh started the process of gas exploration in the Bay leasing out hydrocarbon blocks to foreign oil companies and Myanmar sent in naval fleet for gas exploration within the disputed continental shelf of the Bay.

On the first day of the two-day meeting, Bangladesh proposed to fix the maritime boundary following the ‘Principle of Equity’ of the resources while Myanmar recommended maritime boundary as per line-based equidistance system.

A 13-member delegation from each side is taking part in the crucial meeting that began at 9:30am at Hotel Agrabad. The high-level bilateral meeting for the first time will conclude tomorrow
(Saturday) after dealing with the proposals from the two sides.

Additional Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Rear Admiral (retd) Khorshed Alam is leading the host side while Deputy Foreign Minister Yu Maung Myint heading the Myanmar delegation.

After the first-day meeting was over, the Additional Foreign Secretary told reporters that the meeting discussed only issues relating to the system of identifying the maritime boundary. “But, no
decision was taken at the initial stage,” he said.

Expressing confidence about a fruitful ending of the meeting, Khorshed Alam said both the countries would have to try to reach an effective solution for fixing the maritime boundary.

The Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister also appeared hopeful about a fruitful solution of the problem.

The dispute was created over maritime boundary between the two neighboring countries as Bangladesh protested against Myanmar’s move for lifting mineral resources from a block in the deep sea during the last Caretaker Government.

Later, Bangladesh formally raised the issue at the Arbitration Tribunal of the United Nations in October, 2009 for a solution.

On the other hand, neither Bangladesh nor India could extract mineral resources from gas-and-oil blocks in the deep sea as both the countries claimed the blocks as theirs, said a Foreign Ministry
source from the meeting.

The sources said Myanmar and India have claimed 18 out of 27 blocks of Bangladesh in the deep sea for long.

After 22 years, Bangladesh and Myanmar sat in a meeting in 2008 to demarcate the water delimitation, but the talks ended in failure.

The Foreign Ministry sources said Myanmar’s attitude towards resolving the dispute over maritime boundary was “positive” this time around.