Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Over two months after they met in Dhaka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina will hold talks in the picturesque Addu Atoll in the Maldives later this week to review bilateral projects. The stalled Teesta water sharing accord may also figure in the discussions.

The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit and discuss a host of bilateral and regional issues, including ways to step up collaboration in the SAARC framework.

They will review bilateral ties and discuss the implementation of projects identified under the $1 billion line of credit India had pledged to Bangladesh during Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi in 2010, official sources said.

The Teesta accord may come up for discussions, with Dhaka still sore that the agreement could not be signed at the last minute during Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September due to opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The meeting acquires an added significance as Calcutta University has invited Sheikh Hasina for its annual convocation, to be held either in December or January.

If Sheikh Hasina does visit Kolkata, there is a strong possibility of a meeting with Banerjee.

In September, Banerjee decided not to go to Dhaka with the prime minister at the last minute to register her resistance to the Teesta accord as she felt it will adversely impact West Bengal.

Last week, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said “the overall bilateral relationship and where we are certainly will be discussed” between Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina in the Maldives.

He, however, struck an ambivalent note when asked whether the Teesta accord will figure in the discussions. “Inevitably we would discuss any unfinished business from the prime minister’s visit. I do not think we would be going into the specific details of the individual agreements” — was all he would say.

Besides Sheikh Hasina, Manmohan Singh is expected to meet the leaders of all South Asian countries, including Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, between Nov 9-12 on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in the Maldives.