President lauds India's positive approach

India's approach has been very positive and encouraging and the relationship is now probably at the best of levels, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told India Today Managing Editor Raj Chengappa in an exclusive interview.

"India is a power in this region. It is very strong and can do a lot to develop the neighbouring countries. Not just Sri Lanka, but also others. India is with us and they have shown us their support," President Rajapaksa said.

The interview was published in the latest issue of India Today.

The President said Prabhakaran needs to be tried for his crimes and "I would like to send him to India too for he killed a leader who would have changed the face of not just India but the whole region".

He said the LTTE violated the Ceasefire so often that it had become a farce. "So I decided to end it."

"Either the LTTE accept a political solution by giving up arms and terrorist activities or we will have to curtail their moves. The Government can't kneel down to terrorists. They are now restricted to just one-and-a-half districts. From top to bottom the Government is committed. There is greater coordination between the Government and the Defence Forces which helps our cause."

He told the interviewer that the Government would talk only if the LTTE gives up their weapons. Asked how long it would take for the Government wipe the LTTE out from the remaining areas, he replied "we would have cleared them out of the remaining areas long ago but we also had to ensure no civilians were killed. I would say, in a year and a half, we might be able to do it".

He described the LTTE's civilian killings as a desperate move in the hope that the international community will put pressure on the Government. They can't achieve anything.

He dismissed allegations that the defence budget is too high, saying "the money we are spending on defence is not high - it is 3.5 per cent of the GDP. I believe no country can afford to compromise on its defence".

The President assured action on alleged rights abuses. "There are a few allegations in the East. We enquired into all such allegations but no one was even willing to file a complaint to begin action. We have appointed a commission of eminent persons to look into all the allegations but we need a complaint, evidence and witnesses to do justice in such cases. We will take action."

Commenting on the 13th Amendment, the President recalled that it was never implemented because the parties that agreed to it- the LTTE and the then government- fell out soon afterwards.

"We should first start something we can implement. I don't need two-thirds majority in Parliament to do it. The APRC can then give me some new proposals and we can consider them too. But I don't want to waste my time on solutions that are not practical just to satisfy the international community."

He pointed out that the 13th Amendment was something that Rajiv Gandhi had helped get under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987. In addition he had already started taking steps to ensure the implementation of the official language policy by promoting the learning and usage of Tamil in administration. Tamils were being recruited to the police.

He noted that "federalism is out- historically the word is suspect and is linked with separatism. Maximum devolution under a Unitary Government is the mandate that I have got and I am going to implement that".