Government committed to 'concrete progress' in talks with Tamil
parties
Sri Lanka is committed to ensuring 'expeditious and concrete
progress' in the ongoing dialogue between the government of Sri Lanka
and representatives of Tamil parties. A devolution package, building
upon the 13th amendment, would contribute towards creating the necessary
conditions for such reconciliation, a joint statement issued by the
governments of India and Sri Lanka said at the end of Sri Lankan
External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris' visit to India recently.
The joint statement:
The Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, Prof. G L Peiris
visited India from May 15-17, 2011.
During his visit, the External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka called
on Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh and met with Shri Pranab
Mukherjee, Finance Minister, Shri S M Krishna, External Affairs Minister
and Shri Shivshankar Menon, National Security Advisor, Smt Nirupama Rao,
Foreign Secretary, called on the visiting dignitary.
Delegation-level talks, led by the two External Affairs Ministers,
were held on May 16, 2011. The two sides reviewed the entire gamut of
bilateral relations.
They assessed the developments that had taken place since the visit
of the President of Sri Lanka to India in June, 2010 and the bilateral
Joint Commission meeting at the level of the Ministers of External
Affairs held in Colombo in November, 2010. Issues relating to regional
and international issues of common concern were also discussed.
Both sides agreed that the end of armed conflict in Sri Lanka created
a historic opportunity to address all outstanding issues in a spirit of
understanding and mutual accommodation imbued with political vision to
work towards genuine national reconciliation. In this context, the
External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka affirmed his Government's
commitment to ensuring expeditious and concrete progress in the ongoing
dialogue between the Government of Sri Lanka and representatives of
Tamil parties. A devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment,
would contribute towards creating the necessary conditions for such
reconciliation.
Minister G L Peiris reiterated the commitment of his Government to
continue to address issues related to resettlement and reconciliation in
a focused and progressive manner. In this regard the Minister of
External Affairs of Sri Lanka referred to the work of the Lessons Learnt
and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and set out the steps taken by the
Inter-Agency Advisory Committee (IAAC) chaired by the Attorney General
in implementing the Interim Recommendations of the LLRC in relation to
detention, law and order, administration and language issues and
socio-economic and livelihood issues.
In response, The External Affairs Minister of India urged the
expeditious implementation of measures by the Government of Sri Lanka,
to ensure resettlement and genuine reconciliation, including early
return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their respective homes,
early withdrawal of emergency regulations, investigations into
allegations of human rights violations, restoration of normalcy in
affected areas and redress of humanitarian concerns of affected
families.
The External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka expressed appreciation of
the humanitarian and other assistance including demining and livelihood
support measures extended by the Government of India for early relief
and resettlement of IDPs.
In this context, both sides noted that forward movement had taken
place towards construction of houses for IDPs and other infrastructure
development projects, including rehabilitation of Kankesanthurai
harbour, rehabilitation of Palaly Airport, repair and construction of
hospital and schools, setting up of Vocational Training Centres,
construction of the Cultural Centre in Jaffna, restoration of railway
lines and restoration of the Duraiappah stadium in Jaffna.
Expressing satisfaction at the progress of work on various railway
projects in Sri Lanka undertaken with India's assistance, both sides
agreed to facilitate the work for their timely completion. In keeping
with the understanding contained in the Joint Declaration of June 9,
2010, both sides agreed to the early conclusion of Agreements related to
the Joint Venture Thermal Power Project between NTPC and CEB at Sampur,
Trincomalee; finalisation of remaining agreements including
reconstruction of the Palali-KKS railway line, establishment of a new
signalling and telecommunication system and procurement of rolling stock
from India; and to continue ongoing dialogue for early finalization of a
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Progress on the feasibility study for the interconnection of India
Sri Lanka electricity grids was reviewed.
It was also agreed to enhance cooperation in the energy sector and to
promote dialogue on security and defence issues of relevance to the
bilateral relationship.
Reviewing the outcome of the Joint Working Group meeting on Fisheries
held in New Delhi on March 28-29, 2011, both sides agreed that the use
of force could not be justified under any circumstances and that all
fishermen should be treated in a humane manner.
The Indian side conveyed that the incidents of continued violence
against Indian fishermen in the vicinity of Sri Lanka were of serious
concern.
In this context, both sides noted that the Joint Statement on Fishing
Arrangements of 26th October 2008 had led to a decrease in violent
incidents. Furthermore, the two sides emphasized the importance of an
early conclusion of the draft Memorandum of Understanding on Development
and Cooperation in the field of Fisheries between India and Sri Lanka.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to promote cultural and
people-to-people contacts and enhance connectivity including through
early operationalisation of the ferry services between Tuticorin and
Colombo and Rameswaram and Talaimannar. The two sides also agreed to
encourage two-way flow of investments including in the development of
ports and ports related services in Sri Lanka.
Both countries agreed on the need for reform of the UN Security
Council.
Sri Lanka reiterated its strong support for India's legitimate claim
for permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council.
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