Dhaka: Bangladeshi and Indian commerce secretaries ended three days of acrimonious talks on April 10 with an agreement by New Delhi to remove duty on a limited number of goods but major trade disputes were left outstanding, officials said.

Bangladesh, which suffers a crushing trade deficit to its giant neighbour, had requested 191 exemptions on tariffs, of which India agreed to 16. The status of the rest will be decided later, a joint statement said.

"The talks closed with some understanding on tariff-free matters, but the main issues have remained unsolved," a diplomatic source said.

The two-day negotiations had been due to close on April 9 but were extended after fresh deadlock over New Delhi's requests that Bangladesh allow Indian goods to its northeastern states to pass through the country.

The Bangladeshi delegation suggested the issue and other disputes over border trade be taken up by a joint economic commission scheduled for later this year, the statement said.

It added that New Delhi raised objections to Dhaka's recent ban on imports of Indian cotton yarn and sugar through land routes, which the Bangladeshi delegation agreed to refer to its National Board of Revenue.

The trade deficit between India and Bangladesh has mushroomed, reaching 1.1 billion Dollars in 2001 from 53.3 million Dollars in 1985, causing growing unease among Bangladeshi exporters.