India plans to open Consulate General in Jaffna

India has conveyed to Sri Lanka that it was looking forward to opening a Consulate General in Jaffna and called for the initiation of a process of political reconciliation where all communities in the island-nation can live in peace and harmony.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, who was on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka from March 6-8, also hoped the process of resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) could be expedited, especially in Killinochchi and Mullaithivu, so that they could resume normal lives in their original places of habitation.

Ms Rao met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday and he also hosted a lunch in her honour.

Jaffna was the stronghold of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which the Sri Lankan military finally managed to decimate some months ago.

India, which already has a consulate in Kandy, a Sinhala-dominated area, expects the mission in Jaffna to help it stay in touch with the local people and streamline its assistance programmes.

The Foreign Secretary also met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Senior Adviser to the President Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe, Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera and Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal. In addition, she also met representatives of leading political parties, including Tamil and Muslim parties.

Ms Rao congratulated Mr Rajapaksa on his re-election as President and underlined that the elimination of terrorism and holding of elections provided Sri Lanka with a historic opportunity to initiate a process of reconciliation.

Mr Rajapaksa appreciated India's substantial assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and for the resettlement of IDPs. In particular, he welcomed the extension of $ 425 million as Lines of Credit for railway projects in Northern Sri Lanka.

The President mentioned that around 70,000 IDPs remained in the camps, many of their own volition. Ms Rao welcomed the relaxation of movement restrictions on IDPs.

The Foreign Secretary noted that the October 2008 Joint Statement of Fishing Arrangements had led to a decrease in incidents of apprehension of Indian fishermen and reiterated the importance of strictly adhering to this understanding. It was also agreed to convene a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Fishing to discuss issues related to fishermen on both sides.

According to an official statement, during her discussions with Mr Bogollagama and other senior officials of the Foreign Office, he thanked India for its generous assistance towards the ongoing rehabilitation, resettlement and reconstruction activities in northern Sri Lanka.

Ms Rao assured the Government of Sri Lanka of the Government of India’s intention to continue supporting the task of development and reconstruction in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.

In this context, she announced India’s support for housing projects to be taken up in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts for the benefit of the IDPs. This will include setting up temporary shelters, repairing and rehabilitating damaged houses and building new houses.

The Government of India has also sanctioned the supply of 55 buses to various educational, social and cultural organizations and locally elected bodies in northern, eastern and central Sri Lanka with a view to supporting the transportation sector and strengthening connectivity in these areas.

The statement said Ms Rao also indicated that additional Lines of Credit were being considered for railways projects in Northern Sri Lanka.

The Foreign Minister also thanked India for its strong support to Sri Lanka during the latter’s chairmanship of SAARC.

As part of the efforts for cultural engagement and the preservation of shared heritage, Ms Rao announced that India had decided to participate fully in the setting up of the International Buddhist Museum in the Dalada Maligawa Complex. Work to set up the Indian gallery will be commenced soon under the direction of the National Museum of India.

Ms Rao also announced that India would assist the restoration of the famous Thiruketheshwaram Temple in Mannar. A team from the Archeological Survey of India and the College of Architecture in Mahaballipuram will visit Sri Lanka to take up this work.

The Foreign Secretary announced India's decision to enhance its contribution to the India-Sri Lanka Foundation by another Rs 15 million as a one-time grant. The Sri Lankan side welcomed the announcement. The Foundation is an inter-governmental mechanism that has provided crucial support to and helped catalyze a number of initiatives taken by civil society in the area of art, culture, education, human resource development and training, among other areas.

During the visit, Ms Rao also inaugurated the Sri Lanka-India Centre for English Language Training in Peradeniya, Kandy yesterday.

The Centre has been set up with the assistance of the Government of India in collaboration with the well-known English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad and is meant to support the Sri Lankan Presidential Initiative for English as a Life Skill. The Centre has a state-of-the-art digital language laboratory and has already trained over 4,000 teachers. In her remarks at the inauguration, Foreign Secretary expressed her happiness at participating in an initiative that was aimed at the empowerment of the ordinary people of Sri Lanka.

NNN

Photos courtesy Ministry of External Affairs website.