Teesta: US sees China angle, for early resolution

India and Bangladesh on Monday stressed working on a political consensus to resolve the Teesta issue that also holds hostage the transit arrangements between the two countries.

India and Bangladesh on Monday stressed working on a political consensus to resolve the Teesta issue that also holds hostage the transit arrangements between the two countries.

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And for the obvious strategic reason, the visiting US secretary of state Hillary Clinton joined the issue as the Americans sense the transit issues being hostage to water-sharing pact coming in the way of South Asia getting an alternative route to South East Asia, which bypasses China.

The issue came up for review between external affairs minister SM Krishna and his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni in New Delhi on Monday.

"I have assured Moni that India remains committed to an early solution on Teesta issue," Krishna said.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, Clinton spoke of her interest in Teesta issue.

Before meeting west Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Clinton said: "These are certainly on the list of things I will want to talk about."

Stating the US had no interest in how the water-sharing pact was arrived at, she said it wanted the issue to be amicably resolved as "these will become hot issues, literally hot issues in the future."

"Water is an issue that will increasingly become contentious… The alternative will be perhaps a conflict, which will lead to dislocation, refugee problems and destabilisation that we are seeing in places in North Africa. We have to work together," she said.

But with the Myanmar opening up, the US sees a golden opportunity in connecting the South Asia with South East Asia bypassing China. And as long as Teesta pact is not signed the transit agreement between New Delhi and Dhaka will not come through.

In other words connecting, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand or even up to Vietnam is can have run into the water pact tussle.