MP Basil Rajapaksa briefs Indian leaders on range of issues:

Sri Lanka assures India on civilian safety, welfare

 

INDIA: India and Sri Lanka asserted yesterday that terrorism should be countered with resolve, following talks between Indian leaders and Senior Presidential Advisor MP Basil Rajapaksa.

MP Rajapaksa visited India as a Special Envoy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to brief Indian leaders on the measures being taken by the Government to defeat terrorism and ensure the welfare of civilians in the North. He met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.

A joint statement issued at the end of MP Rajapaksa’s visit said he has briefed the Indian authorities of the efforts by the Sri Lanka Government to afford relief and ensure the welfare of the civilian population in the North and assured that the safety and well-being of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka is being taken care of.

India has conveyed its concern at the humanitarian situation in the Northern part of Sri Lanka, especially of the civilians and internally displaced persons caught in the hostilities and emphasised the need for unhindered essential relief supplies.

As a gesture of goodwill, India has decided to send around 800 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka for the affected civilians in the North. The Government of Sri Lanka will facilitate the delivery. Both sides agreed to consult and cooperate with each other in addressing these humanitarian issues.

“MP Rajapaksa emphasised that the President and his Government were firmly committed to a political process that would lead to a sustainable solution,” the statement said.

They discussed the need to move towards a peacefully negotiated political settlement in the island including in the North. The Indian side called for implementation of the 13th Amendment and greater devolution of powers to the provinces.

Both sides agreed to further nurture the democratic process in the Eastern Province. MP Rajapaksa briefed the Indian side of the large development effort underway in the Eastern Province.

“Discussions in New Delhi during MP Rajapaksa’s visit were characterized by a spirit of constructive engagement on both sides. Both Governments will remain in close touch,” the statement added.

Indian news reports said during talks with External Affairs Minister Mukherjee in New Delhi, MP Basil Rajapaksa said the Government will keep the interests of Tamil civilians

in mind while carrying on with the offensive against the LTTE. Rajapaksa said that Indian medical teams will be allowed to provide aid to the affected Tamil population in the conflict areas.

“We have given every assurance to look after the civilians’ needs and whichever way we can,” he told reporters after the meeting.

Asked about the medical aid from India, the President’s advisor said “yes, that issue was brought up and we will take a positive look on it.”

“Yes,” he said when asked whether the Sri Lankan Government will allow Indian medical aid to Sri Lanka.Asked whether Mukherjee will visit Colombo on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Rajapaksa said “he has not discussed it”.

The Sri Lankan President, during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last Saturday, assured him that “all necessary measures” are being taken to ensure safety and well-being of the Tamil community.

The Prime Minister has told the Sri Lankan President to ensure that the rights of civilian Tamils are not compromised and they do not get enmeshed in the conflict.