Bangla to take maritime issue with India, Myanmar to UN

Dhaka, May 12 (PTI) Bangladesh has decided to seek the UN
intervention for settlement of its maritime boundary issue
with India and Myanmar as its planned attempt for hydrocarbon
exploration in Bay of Bengal were foiled by overlapping claims
from New Delhi and Yangon.

"We are making preparations to put forward our objection
at the UN by June to Myanmar's claim and by November to
India's claim in the Bay of Bengal," an unnamed official
familiar with the process told the 'New Age' newspaper.

Foreign Ministry officials were not immediately available
for comments on the report, which came weeks after Foreign
Minister Dipu Moni said that "based on international law and
geographical and geo-morphological evidences, Bangladesh will
acquire her rightful share in the Bay of Bengal."

"Our foreign policy efforts will be geared towards
securing our right to the resources of the continental shelf
adjacent to our coast on the basis of equity," she had said.

Officials said Myanmar already submitted its claim on
maritime delimitation to the Commission on the Limits of the
Continental Shelf, a UN body to deal with the law of the sea,
in December 2008 while India is set to submit its claim
shortly.

According to the United Nations Convention on Law of the
Sea, Bangladesh must demarcate its sea boundaries by July 27,
2011, India by June 29, 2009 and Myanmar by May 21, 2009.

But under the UN provision, claims submitted by any
country would not be taken for final consideration before
settling the objection raised by a neighbouring country which
might have overlapping claims.

Energy-starved Bangladesh last year floated international
tender for offshore exploration for gas but it received
lukewarm response from international oil companies in view of
overlapping claims about the hydrocarbon blocks in the Bay.

The past military-backed interim administration in
Bangladesh resumed talks with the two neighbours for
settlement of the disputes after a gap of nearly three
decades. PTI AR