India, Bangla face new challenges from fundamentalism: Krishna

From Pallab Bhattacharya
Dhaka, Jul 8 (PTI) Warning that India and Bangladesh face
"new challenges" due to the rise of religious fundamentalism,
extremism and terrorism", Indian External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna said here on Friday that it is imperative to join
hands to combat terror in all its forms.
"We face new challenges and non-traditional security
threats. The rise of religious fundamentalism, extremism and
terrorism are not unfamiliar to our region. Such forces sap
away the strength of our societies, threaten our state systems
and are an impediment to our advancement," he told a leading
Bangladeshi think-tank.
Krishna said India and Bangladesh have had good
cooperation in fighting fundamentalist and extremist forces
and "it is imperative that we continue to join hands to fight
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" so that "this
creed will never gain ascendancy and we shall secure for
ourselves and our peoples the hope of stability, development,
peace and prosperity."
Wrapping up his official visit here during which
Bangladesh put a lid on the controversy set off by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's "off-the-record" remarks about 25
per cent Bangladeshis being anti-India, Krishna said "I am
very satisfied with the outcome (of his talks with top
Bangladeshi leaders) and am positive that we are poised for
significant developments.
Krishna said both Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
and President Zillur Rahman "indicated their desire to
take our relations to a higher level".

Terming India and Bangladesh as "natural partners" due to
geographical proximity, Krishna said there was a "new
momentum" in bilateral relations in recent times.
"I can emphatically say that our bilateral relations are
perhaps the best ever in recent times," he said.
Krishna indicated that an agreement on land boundary
and sharing of waters of Teesta and Feni rivers would be the
cornerstone of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to
Bangladesh in September.
"India and Bangladesh cannot afford to miss this historic
opportunity to work together to be a part of the new future,"
he added.
Krishna said he was "hopeful that the outstanding land
boundary issues between us will be resolved in the near future
in a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable manner.
Discussions are ongoing and I sense willingness on both sides
to resolve this age-old issue".
"The resolution of boundary and its demarcation will
remove an impediment to our collaborative efforts for growth
and development and enhanced people-to-people exchanges," he
said.
The External Affairs Minister said he was optimistic that
"we shall reach a mutually acceptable and pragmatic"
agreement on sharing of the Teesta and Feni waters.
He said there was a need for "mutual sacrifice in view
of declining flows of waters (of common rivers) due to climate
change".