FS leads team to Myanmar to have talks with counterpart
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
M Azizur Rahman
A three-member Bangladesh delegation led by foreign secretary Touhid Hossain left Dhaka in the late hours of Tuesday for talks with the Myanmar counterpart to resolve the dispute over demarcation of maritime boundary, officials said.
"We will urge Myanmar to stop oil and gas explorations in the disputed offshore blocks in the Bay of Bengal until the dispute is resolved," the foreign secretary Touhid Hossain told the FE hours before leaving Dhaka for discussion.
He said Bangladesh wants a fruitful solution of the issue through discussion. "Let us hope for the best," Mr Hossain responded when asked about the possible outcome of the Myanmar visit.
The Bangladesh delegation to Myanmar has been sent urgently as Myanmar continued hydrocarbon explorations in the disputed offshore blocks in the Bay despite repeated protests.
Myanmar last week initiated oil and gas explorations in the disputed offshore gas blocks, some 60 nautical miles off the Bangladesh's sea-island Saint Martin's.
The country's ambassador in Bangladesh U Phae Thann Oo was summoned twice this week to the foreign ministry office and was conveyed about Bangladesh's position.
But Myanmar continued hydrocarbon explorations bringing ships and equipments.
Pointing to the focus of the Bangladesh delegation foreign adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said they will "try and defuse the current situation."
"It will be our endeavour to settle the issue diplomatically as Bangladesh is a peace-loving country. But let it also be understood that we will do all that it takes to protect our sovereignty," he told the newsmen Tuesday.
Bangladesh has so far refrained from energy exploration in disputed waters, said the foreign adviser adding, "It is our hope that Myanmar will do the same."
Apart from the foreign secretary, the two other members of Bangladesh delegation include Commodore (retd) M Khurshed Alam and Commodore Md Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan.
Energy ministry officials said the dispute over the offshore gas blocks among the countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal existed since long as they are yet to settle their sea territories.
The dispute came to surface recently when Bangladesh in early February 2008 offered a total of 28 blocks for oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal.
A UK-based firm - Wood Mackenzie - in a recent survey reveals that 12 out of 28 gas blocks to oil companies offered under the latest offshore bidding round by Bangladesh have been wholly or partly licensed by neighbouring countries.
"One shallow water block and eleven deepwater blocks have been wholly or partly licensed by other countries," Wood Mackenzie categorically said in its findings.
It said of the 12 blocks India has encroached on five Bangladesh offshore gas blocks, while Myanmar on seven blocks in the prospective Bay of Bengal.
Wood Mackenzie in its findings stated that to the east, seven Bangladeshi deep-water blocks have been wholly or partly licensed by Myanmar.
Blocks DS-08-22, DS-08-23, DS-08-27 and DS-08-28 all overlap Myanmar's block AD-9, which is operated by ONGC.
Further north, Myanmar's AD-8 block (CNPC) covers the Bangladeshi blocks -- DS-08-18 and part of DS-08-17 and DS-08-13.
Furthermore, block AD-7, which was licensed by Myanmar to Daewoo, overlaps part of block DS-08-13.
In the west, part of Bangladesh block SS-08-05 was licensed by India (as block NEC-DWN-2004/2) to Santos in 2007.
The Indian block overlaps Bangladeshi third round blocks -- SS-08-09 and SS-08-14.
Further south, another Santos block, NEC-DWN-2004/1, overlaps Bangladeshi blocks -- DS-08-14, DS-08-19 and DS-08-24.
Bangladesh, India and Myanmar - all are the signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that has provisions to resolve such dispute among the neighbouring countries.
As per the UNCLOS provision India and Myanmar have timeframe to settle relevant dispute by 2009 next, while Bangladesh has time until 2011.
A three-member Bangladesh delegation led by foreign secretary Touhid Hossain left Dhaka in the late hours of Tuesday for talks with the Myanmar counterpart to resolve the dispute over demarcation of maritime boundary, officials said.
"We will urge Myanmar to stop oil and gas explorations in the disputed offshore blocks in the Bay of Bengal until the dispute is resolved," the foreign secretary Touhid Hossain told the FE hours before leaving Dhaka for discussion.
He said Bangladesh wants a fruitful solution of the issue through discussion. "Let us hope for the best," Mr Hossain responded when asked about the possible outcome of the Myanmar visit.
The Bangladesh delegation to Myanmar has been sent urgently as Myanmar continued hydrocarbon explorations in the disputed offshore blocks in the Bay despite repeated protests.
Myanmar last week initiated oil and gas explorations in the disputed offshore gas blocks, some 60 nautical miles off the Bangladesh's sea-island Saint Martin's.
The country's ambassador in Bangladesh U Phae Thann Oo was summoned twice this week to the foreign ministry office and was conveyed about Bangladesh's position.
But Myanmar continued hydrocarbon explorations bringing ships and equipments.
Pointing to the focus of the Bangladesh delegation foreign adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said they will "try and defuse the current situation."
"It will be our endeavour to settle the issue diplomatically as Bangladesh is a peace-loving country. But let it also be understood that we will do all that it takes to protect our sovereignty," he told the newsmen Tuesday.
Bangladesh has so far refrained from energy exploration in disputed waters, said the foreign adviser adding, "It is our hope that Myanmar will do the same."
Apart from the foreign secretary, the two other members of Bangladesh delegation include Commodore (retd) M Khurshed Alam and Commodore Md Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan.
Energy ministry officials said the dispute over the offshore gas blocks among the countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal existed since long as they are yet to settle their sea territories.
The dispute came to surface recently when Bangladesh in early February 2008 offered a total of 28 blocks for oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal.
A UK-based firm - Wood Mackenzie - in a recent survey reveals that 12 out of 28 gas blocks to oil companies offered under the latest offshore bidding round by Bangladesh have been wholly or partly licensed by neighbouring countries.
"One shallow water block and eleven deepwater blocks have been wholly or partly licensed by other countries," Wood Mackenzie categorically said in its findings.
It said of the 12 blocks India has encroached on five Bangladesh offshore gas blocks, while Myanmar on seven blocks in the prospective Bay of Bengal.
Wood Mackenzie in its findings stated that to the east, seven Bangladeshi deep-water blocks have been wholly or partly licensed by Myanmar.
Blocks DS-08-22, DS-08-23, DS-08-27 and DS-08-28 all overlap Myanmar's block AD-9, which is operated by ONGC.
Further north, Myanmar's AD-8 block (CNPC) covers the Bangladeshi blocks -- DS-08-18 and part of DS-08-17 and DS-08-13.
Furthermore, block AD-7, which was licensed by Myanmar to Daewoo, overlaps part of block DS-08-13.
In the west, part of Bangladesh block SS-08-05 was licensed by India (as block NEC-DWN-2004/2) to Santos in 2007.
The Indian block overlaps Bangladeshi third round blocks -- SS-08-09 and SS-08-14.
Further south, another Santos block, NEC-DWN-2004/1, overlaps Bangladeshi blocks -- DS-08-14, DS-08-19 and DS-08-24.
Bangladesh, India and Myanmar - all are the signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that has provisions to resolve such dispute among the neighbouring countries.
As per the UNCLOS provision India and Myanmar have timeframe to settle relevant dispute by 2009 next, while Bangladesh has time until 2011.