On the sidelines of the Bimstec summit being held in New Delhi today, the Burmese military junta's Prime Minister, General Thein Sein, and Bangladesh Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, are likely to meet.

Bangladesh Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmad told the media of this yesterday after he met Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win in New Delhi on the sidelines of the Bimstec ministerial conference.

Iftekhar said, "We agreed to continue with high level contacts, including a meeting between the Burmese Prime Minister and the Bangladesh chief adviser when they both arrive in New Delhi."

During the meeting, the two heads-of-state may discuss some important issues including the recent maritime boundary dispute in the Bay of Bengal as well as the potential for cooperation in political and economic realms.

"We both wanted differences resolved peacefully through negotiation conducted in the spirit of mutual understanding," Iftekhar also told the media.

The relations between Burma and Bangladesh are very good but have been souring after the two countries nursed a dispute over its maritime boundary, which came to a head by Burma's exploration for oil and natural gas in the Bay of Bengal near Bangladesh.

Border sources speculate that many agreements between Bangladesh and Burma may come to a grinding halt in the near future if the maritime boundary dispute is not resolved. Burmese authorities have already postponed projects related to promoting border trade, including halting construction on a new trade zone near the border.

Many agreements were signed by both countries during a recent visit by Senior General Maung Aye to Bangladesh, but all are in limbo as relations have worsened with Burma's suspected border intrusion to explore for resources with the Korean company DaeWoo in the Bay of Bengal.