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Indo-Lanka ties and peace-making

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's current visit to India, his second to that country in the past six months, freshly underscores India's continuing importance to the Lankan peace process. "It would not be possible to make our journey towards peace a success without the blessings of India," the Lankan Premier was quoted saying in Bangalore.

A troubled phase in our relations with India in the past, soon after the eruption of the North-East war in the early Eighties, indicated the degree to which the state of Lanka's ties with India, could influence political developments here.

A costly blunder in the conduct of our foreign policy was made at that time, when the then government thought it fit to deviate from the time-tested principle of Non-Alignment, which steadily nourished both India's and Sri Lanka's foreign policy agendas until then. A departure from the traditional parameters of Lanka's foreign policy exacerbated some of the India's security concerns and this led to strained Indo-Lanka relations. Those years witnessed a surge in the LTTE's military campaign.

One lesson which was learnt by Lanka at that time was that major foreign policy initiatives couldn't be made without consideration for India's security concerns. On the other hand, no sooner relations between India and Sri Lanka were normalized, through a growing sensitivity to the former's needs on the part of the latter, Indian cooperation was forthcoming for Lanka's peace-making efforts.

Premier Wickremesinghe's present personal diplomacy in India, therefore, to keep Indian political leaders informed about current developments in Lanka's peace effort, is most timely and appropriate. India has continuously pledged its support for a negotiated and just political settlement in Lanka's conflict and it is unlikely to deviate from this position. However, it would be appropriate to inform India about the rationale behind our major moves, lest our intentions be misunderstood. The close interaction which Premier Wickremesinghe has initiated with Indian leaders will guard against this possibility and enhance the cordiality of Indo-Lanka relations.

Kickstarting the Lankan economy would be greatly aided by stepped-up Indo-Lanka economic relations. Our trade pact with India has to be constantly reviewed and its potential fully exploited to the benefit of both countries. Indian expertise is also needed to upgrade our IT industry besides looking at the economies of permitting the Indian Oil Corporation to establish a presence in Trincomalee. All this and more could be achieved through a bridge-strengthening program with India.

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