"I am expecting very positively an interim agreement on the Teesta water sharing until the study of water flow of other common rivers completes," Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan told the news agency yesterday on the outcome of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's visit to India.

He said the Indian water resources minister will come to Bangladesh immediately after West Bengal elections and visit the sites of both Teesta and Tipaimukh with the Bangladesh water resources minister.

After the visit, the Joint River Commission (JRC) will look into the interim arrangement positively, Morshed said.

On Dhaka's concern over the huge trade deficit with New Delhi, he said India assured that it would take positive actions after identification of para-tariff and non-tariff barriers by the business communities.

"After submission of the list of barriers by the business communities, both the governments will take appropriate steps for removal of the barriers," the foreign minister said.

He informed the commerce ministers of the two countries will also meet soon on bilateral FTA, which India feels will be much more favourable for Bangladesh in reducing the trade gap than Safta.

The foreign minister said New Delhi also assured that land ports on the Indian side will be developed for uninterrupted trading between Bangladesh and Nepal and Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Asked about cross-border train service between Sealdah and Joydevpur, he said a joint technical committee will study the pros and cons, including condition of rail tracks and capacity of sustaining load, before commissioning of the service.

Disagreeing with a notion that the prime minister's visit yielded naught, the foreign minister said the visit will have a long-term impact on establishing peace and stability in the region.

Without elaborating, he termed the one-to-one talk between the two prime ministers and Khaleda's meeting with Sonia Gandhi very important. "These two meetings were held in a very warm and cordial atmosphere," he said.

Asked whether the prime minister's visit will improve the political relations between the ruling Indian Congress and the ruling BNP, Morshed said, "The leaders of the two countries have now got better understanding and clear picture of each other's positions."

"They (India) don't have any preference for any particular political party.. They will be happy to work with any political leadership in Bangladesh mandated by the people," he said, indicating a change in the mindset of politicians on both sides in a changed perspective.