This is an archive article published on December 17, 2019

Opinion December 17, 1979, Forty Years Ago: Indo-Bangla Talks

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on December 17, 1979.

December 17, 2019 12:00 AM IST First published on: Dec 17, 2019 at 12:00 AM IST

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on December 17, 1979.

Border talks between India and Bangladesh have failed. The Bangladesh delegation flew back to Dhaka this morning amid growing doubts over Bangladesh’s intention to adhere to the 1974 land boundary agreement between the two countries. After the three-day talks the two delegations issued a brief joint statement in which both sides have agreed to exercise maximum restraint and avoid provocation to ensure the return of normalcy in the Muhuri Char area of the Belonia sector on the Tripura Bangladesh border. This merely means that the two sides will not resort to exchange of firings or invectives on the disputed 44-acre stretch of land.

Nepal Elections

King Birendra of Nepal said “regardless of whichever side — partyless panchayat with reforms or a multiparty system — won as a result of people’s verdict, in the coming referendum, from now onwards all elections to the different tiers of the proposed political system would be on the basis of adult franchise.” In a broadcast to the nation on the King Mahendra memorial and constitutional day, the king said that the prime minister of Nepal would be elected by a popularly elected panchayat or a national parliament. He also said the council of ministers would be responsible to the national level-panchayat.

Iran Crisis

Iranian foreign minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh hailed the departure of the deposed Shah from the US as a “first step to victory”. He told reporters it was possible that some of the US hostages would be freed by Christmas and — despite angry declarations by students holding the US embassy — said the authorities were not currently debating setting a trial date for the hostages. Ghotbzadeh said: “I hope that things are now rolling in a positive way. We will try to do our best to defuse the crisis.”