Rehabilitation of displaced:

India assures highest support - Indian External Minister

India and Sri Lanka discussed yesterday rehabilitation of three lakhs of Tamil civilians displaced due to the war in the island's north, with Colombo insisting that the process has made "significant progress".

The issue was discussed in detail during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna and his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollagama here amid India's keenness to see early rehabilitation of the displaced people.

Krishna told Bogollagama that India was ready to help in whatever way Sri Lanka wanted.

The External Affairs Minister told reporters that India wants Sri Lanka to accord top priority to the resettlement of nearly three lakhs of Tamil civilians displaced due to the 30-year-old civil war and expressed readiness to help Colombo in this regard. "We are in close touch with the Sri Lankan Government," Krishna said.

Sri Lanka has assured that the resettlement would be undertaken in 180 days after the end of war. "We hope Sri Lanka will be able to do that," he said.

He said India was ready to assist Sri Lanka in resettling the displaced Tamil civilians.

They have promised us that they will resettle the displaced civilians soon, Krishna said. Bogollagama later told a select group of reporters that he had given details of the rehabilitation program which is being accorded high priority by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. PTI