Bangladesh will discuss trade imbalance, sharing of water of common rivers and security issue with India during the Khaleda-Manmohan meeting to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday, a high official said in Dhaka on Sunday.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will drive to secure concrete assurance from New Delhi that no river project would adversely affect the interest of Bangladesh, private news agency UNB quoted Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Hemayet Uddin as saying.

Khaleda, who will meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 21, will seek to reduce the huge trade deficit with India.

"From our side we will stress on reducing trade imbalance...it's very important for us. We'll also highlight the need for a just sharing of waters of the common rivers including the Teesta," Foreign Secretary Hemayet was quoted as saying.

Security issue and the entire range of bilateral relations will be discussed in a free and frank manner, the Foreign Secretary said.

Hemayet hoped that the outcome of the Khaleda-Manmohan meeting would "herald a new chapter in our bilateral relations."

India is Bangladesh's important neighbor with multi-faceted relations and Bangladesh attaches great importance to this, he said, adding "the prime minister's visit is a vindication of this importance relations."

He said it is expected that some agreements will be signed following the talks between the two prime ministers.

Khaleda will pay a three-day state visit to India from Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2006)