August 26, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani 16,1423

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DHAKA, Aug 25: India and Bangladesh held formal talks in Dhaka in an effort to strengthen bilateral ties but apparently failed to make any breakthrough in removing the irritants causing strained relations, diplomatic sources said on Sunday.

The talks were held between visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and his Bangladeshi counterpart Morshed Khan soon after Sinha reached Dhaka from Kathmandu on Saturday on a two- day official tour.

A senior Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry official said Sinha’s talks with Bangladeshi government leaders were dominated by problems along the common border of the two closest neighbours.

Diplomatic sources said the discussions were overshadowed by New Delhi’s allegations that secessionist tribal rebels in the troubled northeastern Indian states were getting sanctuary along the Bangladeshi border.

Bangladesh strongly denied the Indian charges and also assured New Delhi that it will never allow its territory to be used for the carrying on of anti-Indian activities.

Sinha earlier said the main purpose of his visit was to reaffirm India’s abiding commitment to friendship and good neighbourly relations with Bangladesh.

India’s relations with Bangladesh are visibly strained since a pro-Islamic coalition government took office in Dhaka after a thumping victory in general elections last October by a Nationalist - Islamist alliance.

A Bangladeshi spokesman said both sides discussed a whole range of contentious issues from frequent shootings on the border, trade imbalance, boundary disputes and differences over transit rights.

Both countries are keen on stopping cross-border crimes along their porous frontier including human trafficking, drug smuggling, illegal migration and gun running.

Khan raised the issue of the rapidly increasing trade gap with India which has now reached a billion dollars. Sinha disclosed New Delhi had allowed duty free access of 40 Bangladeshi goods to Indian markets to boost exports from Bangladesh.—dpa