Monday, April 11 2005 08:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in New Delhi last night (Apr 10, 2005) for talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India said bilateral ties are poised for a "great leap forward" with the two sides agreeing on a three-tier process to resolve the vexed boundary question.

National Security Advisor M K Narayanan told Star News that the three-tier process consists of an accord on the guiding principles at the first stage, agreed framework in the second stage and actual delineation of the border in the third.

Narayanan said he had a "very good meeting" with the special representative of China Dai Bingguo on the boundary issue and "we have more or less reached an agreement with regard to the political parameters and the guiding principles for the settlement of the boundary dispute".

Narayanan said that the document on the agreement to settle the boundary issue would now go to the respective Prime Ministers for their formal clearance and is expected to be signed today (Apr 11, 2005) when they meet.

"It is a very important document. I think it is a very significant document to be signed between the two countries it showed a lot of give and take on both sides and we are very hopeful that the document would be a major starting point in the settlement of the boundary dispute between India and China," he said.

Narayanan, who has been invited by his counterpart for the next round of talks in Beijing, said the whole question of whether some territory would be here or there or whether there will be major changes of minor changes could really be known when "we come to the third stage of actual delineation of the borders".

He said, "The most difficult stage would be the next one - an agreed framework - on which both Special Representatives will meet and try to reach some kind of an agreement. I have been invited to visit China by Dai to start this work as quickly as possible as soon as the document is signed".

On the issue of exchange of maps, he said, "In the past, the exchange of maps was being impeded. We are hopeful once the agreed framework is on, the question of maps will become a minor issue. The give and take is really on the attitude, not in terms of a particular area of region."

"Do you want to settle the problem? I think for the first time we see a tremendous degree of commonality," he said.

As regard exchange of territories, he said it was much too early at this stage to state what exactly was going to take place.

"As far as population is concerned, there is need to safeguard the interest of settled population. How it can be done can be worked out on ground only in the second or more particularly third stage," he added.