Title - India, Bangladesh to sign extradition treaty soon: Envoy

Agartala  : India and Bangladesh are expected to sign an extradition treaty in the near future, India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran said here Wednesday."If New Delhi and Dhaka signed the treaty, it would be a positive impact on the security situation of the two neighbours," Saran told reporters here."Bangladesh has indicated in the last foreign ministers' joint consultative committee meeting in New Delhi May 8 that they are ready to continue negotiations and send a delegation to India and vice-versa to discuss on the extradition treaty," he said. "Definitely, if India signs an extradition agreement with Bangladesh, it would have a constructive impact on our security concerns. We would like to sign the treaty at the earliest and it is our view it would be good for both the nations," he said.The proposed treaty will help India deal with northeastern militants hiding or arrested in Bangladesh. They include Anup Chetia, general secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom. Chetia has been in a Dhaka jail since his arrest in 1997. Saran, who took up his posting as the high commissioner to Bangladesh in March, is on a four-day tour to Meghalaya and Tripura to study the projects agreed between India and Bangladesh.Saran has met Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Industries and Commerce Minister Jitendra Choudhury and officials of the two states. He also went to several areas along the India-Bangladesh border."We are developing a political consensus among all stake-holders on the Teesta river water sharing and other unresolved issues," he said."Water is a critical matter between India and Bangladesh and we are committed to implementing all the assurances given to Bangladesh. Our cooperation with Bangladesh is renewing across the board in many sectors and it is moving in the right direction," he said.

"Water cooperation is not a new issue. A joint river commission between India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 and it can deal with all kinds of situations and problems relating to water," he said.

Saran said India and Bangladesh were moving in the right direction to build strong bilateral relations through not only dialogue but also by implementing several treaties, agreed between the two neighbours through a win-win situation and propositions where both the economy would develop.

Saran also said that he would apprise both Indian and Bangladeshi authorities about the implementation of the treaties agreed upon between the two countries, suggestions and views gathered from his meeting with the governor, chief minister, minister and officials.

Teesta river water sharing, transit between northeast India and rest of the country and abroad via Bangladesh, use of Chittagong international port and other ports of Bangladesh by India, increase of trade and business between the two neighbours, specially with the northeast region, railway linkage between Agartala (India) and Akhaurah (Bangladesh) and shelter of northeastern militants in Bangladesh are the major issues between Dhaka and New Delhi.

Four northeastern states -- Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam -- share 1,880-km of the total 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border.