India and Bangladesh have made some progress in the water talks between the two countries, which ended in Dhaka on Tuesday.

"I am fairly satisfied with the outcome of the talks and it was better than the last one in 2003 in New Delhi," Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed told reporters at the end of the long-delayed two-day parleys with his Indian couterpart Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi.

Dasmunshi allayed Bangladesh's fears over linking of the Ganges [Images] and the Brahmaputra rivers.

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Both leaders refused to comment further before releasing an agreed minute on Wednesday when they were likely to meet the press formally.

The Bangladesh-India Joint Rivers Commission talks were scheduled to be held in December 2003, but were put back repeatedly although the commission was supposed to meet twice a year.

The 36th commission meeting had 7 points on its agenda, including the sharing of the Teesta river.

The two countries share 54 rivers and had in 1996 inked the landmark Ganges river water sharing treaty.