A timely visit to India
PRESIDENT Kumaratunga's visit to India,
which comes at a crucial juncture in Sri Lanka's efforts to revive her
stalled peace process, testifies eloquently to the vast importance the
Government attaches to Lanka's continued cordial ties with India.
Vibrant, mutually-beneficial ties with India have been a hallmark of
governments headed by President Kumaratunga in particular, and it comes
as no surprise that she wishes to keep India informed about crucial
developments in Sri Lanka.
Cordiality towards India and sustained Indo-Lanka cooperation have
been pivotal elements in the foreign policy of SLFP-led governments down
the decades and it is relieving to find that this vital tradition in the
conduct of Lanka's foreign policy is being vibrantly taken forward by
the current administration too.
How counter productive it would be for Sri Lanka to ignore or be
insensitive to India's crucial concerns was illustrated through the
troubled relations Lanka had with India in the mid Eighties, when a UNP
administration held away in Sri Lanka.
That was a time when hardly a thought was spared for the way India
would perceive political developments in this country. That crisis in
Indo-Lanka relations could have been averted if the then Lankan
government worked in close cooperation with India and shared her keenly
felt concerns, particularly in relation to security matters. Not
surprisingly, Indo-Lanka relations hit an all-time low in those times.
It speaks volumes for President Kumaratunga's foresight that she has
always thought it best to work in close cooperation with India, as in
the present instance. It shouldn't come as a surprise to the Lankan
public that India needs to be mindful of political developments in Sri
Lanka, which is located a few kilometres away from her Southernmost
state, Tamilnadu.
Inasmuch as Sri Lanka is profoundly concerned about preserving its
territorial integrity, so is India.
Therefore, it would be in the interests of both India and Sri Lanka
to work on a cooperative basis. For instance, the Tsunami Relief Council
proposal of the Lankan Government has proved controversial among some
sections of opinion. We believe President Kumaratunga is doing right by
explaining to the Indian political leadership what it is all about and
how it would serve the cause of peace in Sri Lanka.
By doing so, the Lankan Government could secure the goodwill and
cooperation of India in its peace drive. Such assistance and cordiality
in Indo-Lankan relations is vital because India has always meant well by
those governments which have taken her into their confidence. In fact,
India has always backed Sri Lanka's unity and geographical wholeness.
However, working out a just, negotiated settlement to the Lankan
conflict is entirely a responsibility of Sri Lanka. |