India calls for genuine political reconciliation in Sri Lanka

India today said it was committed to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and hoped that the vision and leadership that resulted in an end to armed conflict in the island-nation would now be employed in the quest for a genuine political reconciliation.

 

"We look forward to progress in the ongoing dialogue process, in order to address this issue in a timely manner. We will continue to work with the Government of Sri Lanka, and help in whatever way we can, to take this process forward, in a spirit of partnership and cooperation," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said at a joint media interaction with his Sri Lankan counterpart G L Peiris in Colombo.

 

Krishna, who is on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, said India had taken note of the many constructive recommendations contained in the recently-released report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

 

"These recommendations, when implemented, would mark a major step forward in the process of genuine national reconciliation, to which the Sri Lankan government is committed. Sri Lanka must seize this opportunity," he said.

 

He said the Sri Lankan Government had, on many occasions, conveyed to India its commitment to move towards a political settlement based on the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, and building on it, so as to achieve meaningful devolution of powers.

 

"We look forward to an expeditious and constructive approach to the dialogue process. We believe that continuation of the dialogue between the Government and the TNA would pave the way for political settlement, including under the rubric of the Parliamentary Select Committee," he said.

 

Krishna said he had discussed this matter with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on whom he called this morning. He said Rajapaksa assured him that he stood by his commitment to pursuing the 13th Amendment-plus approach.

 

The External Affairs Minister also took the opportunity to emphasize that the issue of fishermen was an emotive issue and needed to be handled with care on both sides.

 

"As we explore possible solutions, we must ensure that there is no use of force against the fishermen and that they are treated in a humane manner. We were happy to note that the Joint Working Group on Fisheries which met a couple of days ago, was able to look at various options to address this issue," he said.

 

Krishna said he had a useful exchange of views with Rajapaksa on ways to take the bilateral relationship forward.

 

He said that, at his meeting with Peiris, the two sides had a useful exchange of views on ways to take the bilateral relationship forward.

 

"We had the opportunity to review progress in various areas, including trade, services and investment, development cooperation, science and technology, culture and education. I am satisfied that the projects under our development partnership have progressed well since my last visit," he said.

 

Peiris and Krishna signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) specifying the modalities for the next phase of the housing project being implemented with India's assistance of about $ 260 million.

 

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This MoU involves the construction of 49,000 houses, out of a total of 50,000 houses. As you know, the pilot project for construction of the first 1000 houses is in an advanced stage of completion. During his visit to Jaffna tomorrow, he will hand over the first lot of these houses to the beneficiaries.

 

The two sides also signed MoUs for cooperation in the field of agriculture and for cooperation between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka.

 

"Our development assistance projects are entirely based on the priorities set by the government and the people of Sri Lanka. The main themes are connectivity, housing, health, education, livelihood restoration and economic revival," Krishna said.

 

Tomorrow, he will visit Kilinochchi to hand over medical equipment to the District General Hospital, and also reopen schools we had helped repair. As a token gesture, India is also providing 10,000 bicycles to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Northern Province.

 

Krishna expressed happiness over the fact that bilateral trade in goods would touch the $ 5 billion mark. India is also a leading player in Sri Lanka, as far as investments and tourist arrivals are concerned.

 

"To sustain this positive momentum in our trade and economic relations and take it to the next level, it is necessary to finalize a more comprehensive framework of economic cooperation," he said.

 

"India and Sri Lanka are bound by ties of history, geography and culture. Our partnership must therefore progress in the spirit of being the closest of neighbours and friends, whose destinies are intertwined," he added.

 

NNN

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