Mukherjee visit

The outcome of Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Sri Lanka contrary to speculation, only reinforced India's total recognition of Sri Lanka's sovereignty and it's opposition the LTTE.

Even before arriving in the country Mukherjee told journalists in India "We are for a fight against terrorists and all sorts of terrorism. Therefore we have no sympathy for any terrorist activity indulged in by any terrorist organisation, particularly the LTTE which is a banned organisation in India".

Therefore, there was no question of any ambiguity on the part of India as to Government's current military operation to defeat terrorism. Understandably sharing the concern of Tamil Nadu politicians on the plight of the civilians caught up in the conflict Mukherjee nevertheless did not broach the subject of a ceasefire as was the desire of Karunanidhi at whose urging the high profile visit was made.

It is clear that India will not make any overtures for a Ceasefire under any circumstances at a time when the Government has all but annihilated the LTTE but would want Sri Lanka to pursue a negotiated political settlement that respected the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

In fact New Delhi had never wavered from this policy and the visiting External Affairs Minister expressed his appreciation of the President's commitment to even go beyond the 13th amendment to realise this goal. The President on his part said the present military victories would offer an opportunity to restore normalcy in the Northern Province and throughout Sri Lanka.

The President's invitation to both Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha to visit Sri Lanka and persuade the LTTE to lay down arms and join the political mainstream is also a demonstration of his bonafides in pursuing a political solution.

This in turn would test the bonafides of the Tamil Nadu politicians who are weeping buckets for the Tamil civilians. Now that New Delhi has stated in no uncertain terms that it would not step into halt the military offensive, they should actively persuade Prabhakaran to leave the civilians alone. If not they will be exposed for their hypocrisy and their true intentions which is to bail out the LTTE from a tight corner.

No doubt India is impressed with the President's safety measures for civilians with the creation of safe havens and his strict instructions to the forces for zero casualties. Nowhere has India made any accusations against the Security Forces. What it is concerned about is the plight of the civilians held hostage by the LTTE. By not insisting on a ceasefire India has sent a message to the LTTE that it's propaganda at the expense of innocent civilians will not buy.

The President's assurance to the India Minister of his intent to jointly work with India to enable all Sri Lankans, particularly the Tamil community in the North to begin living a normal life as soon as possible is indeed significant. This will no doubt expedite the political process while giving India a bigger role in the rehabilitation and reconstruction exercise that would speed up relief to a beleaguered people. It would also allow a clear insight on the working of devolution. With India playing a direct role in the affairs of the Tamil community it would also be an ideal countervailing factor against Tamil Nadu influence.

The visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister is a landmark event. While helping to cement existing bi-lateral ties it has also put Indo-Lanka relations in context. It was also a clear endorsement of India's support for the current course of action followed by President Rajapaksa in unifying the country while respecting pluralism and diversity.

Importance of Tamil language

At his meeting with Newspaper editors at Temple Trees on Tuesday President Mahinda Rajapaksa referred to his address in Tamil to the estate community at the Nuwara-eliya election rally."I have learnt to address Tamil people in Tamil using my little knowledge of that language to give leadership by example". Ministers Hemakumara Nanayakkara and T.B. Ekanayake too had spoken in Tamil. This action by the President no less it is hoped will catch on among the majority community some of whom had sad to note developed a xenophobic attitude towards minority communities, which gave way to communal riots that blighted this country.

It would no doubt go a long way in healing the scars of communalism that had taken a heavy toll on the country. Knowledge of each other's language promotes unity, amity, and brotherhood among communities. We are sorely in need of this at a time the country is at a decisive crossroads, emerging out of the nightmare of terrorism and moving into an era of peace. That no less a person than the President himself known for his deep Sinhala roots has shown the way in this regard should provide the impetus for the rest of majority community to drop all their hang ups and make an effort to study the Tamil language. For communication is the most effective mode to build bridges and heal deep seated scars. Although it is compulsory for Sinhala Government servants to learn Tamil and vice versa very few put this into usage. The time has arrived for the nation as whole to stand up together and speak in one language - the language of unity.