India reassures commitment to undivided Lanka

Rohan MATHES in New Delhi

INDIA: India yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

This was conveyed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, now on an official visit to India, by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during their talks.

This meeting is a precursor to the President's meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian counterpart J.P. Abdul Kalam today.

There was a frank exchange of views between the President and the Indian Minister on current developments in Sri Lanka, especially on the peace process, humanitarian issues, and areas of cooperation between the two countries, with special emphasis on the economic development of Sri Lanka.

The progress of negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Indian participation in infrastructure development and the expansion of IT education in Sri Lanka were also discussed.

The meeting with President Rajapaksa and Indian Minister of External Affairs that lasted nearly 40 minutes was followed by a bilateral discussion between Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Minister Mukherjee.

Mukherjee said good relations between India and Sri Lanka that were taken to new heights by the former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, should be taken to even greater heights of cooperation and understanding.

Mukherjee said the work on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was progressing well and that India was keen to see that both countries benefited from this agreement.

Samaraweera said Sri Lanka was confident that through the long experience of Mukherjee, it would be possible to take the irreversible good relations between India and Sri Lanka to even higher levels of cooperation.

He said although Sri Lanka was a small neighbour of India, there was big potential for the country to be a partner in development.

Commenting on economic development, Minister Samaraweera said Sri Lanka gives priority to economic development in the peace process because a lasting peace was intertwined with economic progress.

The bilateral discussions covered the progress in a number of activities from the latest situation regarding the CEPA, which is expected to be finalised by end January 2007; Indian participation in the construction of the Southern railway on an Indian line of credit of US$ 100 million; the negotiations for the construction of two coal powered power projects in Trincomalee with Indian investment, which is in the final stages of negotiation; the improvement of civil aviation between the two countries; the establishment of an IT park in Sri Lanka; the overall Development Cooperation between the two counties, special projects such as the expansion of the "Nenasala" programme, the improvements to the Dickoya Hospital, provision of boats to fisherman and the Mahatma Gandhi scholarships to students in Sri Lanka's hill country.

The bilateral discussions also discussed the question of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), especially in the East of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan officials explained that a proposal by the Government to establish a special area to accommodate the IDPs in the East had been turned down by the LTTE, and it wanted to continue to use displaced civilians as human shields.

Further steps were being taken by government to bring relief to these people who were undergoing hardship and arrangements had been made to take a convoy of 50 trucks with essential goods the Vakarai area.

Ministers Douglas Devananda, Rohitha Bogollagama, Janaka Bandara Tennekoon, Secretary to the Treasury Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, Secretary Foreign Affairs H.M.G.S. Palihakkara, Dr. Palitha Kohona, Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat and Dr. Rohan Perera, Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were among the Sri Lanka officials present. Foreign Secretary of India Shiv Shankar Menon led the team of key Indian officials.