India FM in Colombo; Lanka committed to devolution of power to Tamil areas

Colombo, Jan 17 (PTI) Sri Lanka today assured India that it was committed to pursuing the 13th Amendment plus approach that envisages devolution of powers to Tamil-dominated provinces of the island nation to end the ethnic conflict, even as New Delhi hoped for an "expeditious" and "constructive" approach to the dialogue between the government and Tamil National Alliance. President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave the assurance to visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna during a 90-minute breakfast meeting during which they reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties and the progress in the relief and rehabilitation of war-displaced Tamil civilians. Sources told PTI that Krishna told Rajapaksa that political settlement of Tamils and a solution that answers the genuine aspirations of the Tamil community was the "most important" before the country. "I discussed this matter with His Excellency the President this morning. The President assured me that he stands by his commitment to pursuing the 13th Amendment plus approach," Krishna told a joint media interaction after a one-on-one with his counterpart G L Peiris and delegation-level talks. The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution envisages devolution of powers to the Tamil-dominated Northern Province, which India feels will meet the "genuine aspirations" of the ethnic Tamils. Asked whether the President gave any time-frame for the implementation, the Indian Minister said the particular aspect was not discussed as it would not be "desirable for him to either suggest or to ask him a time-frame" for resolution of an issue with such complexities. "It was heartening for me to hear from the President of Sri Lanka that he is committed to the 13th Amendment and that the process will automatically follow," he said. Peiris said the focus should now be on implementation and both sides can move towards a set of proposals which could be implemented. "We can make the talks a success. The condition for success is inclusive. If talks exclude most areas of the political opinion of the country, there is no spirit of inclusiveness," he said. Krishna and Peiris also signed an MoU for construction of 49,000 houses for relocated Tamils in the northern region at a cost of USD 260 million. Krishna would hand over nearly 100 houses constructed under a pilot project to beneficiaries in Kilinochchi in the Northern Province tomorrow. Noting that India is committed to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, Krishna said it is the country's hope that the vision and leadership that resulted in an end to armed conflict will 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," he said. On the recommendations in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), Krishna asked the Sri Lankan Government to "seize" the opportunity by implementing some of the recommendations which would mark a major step forward in the process of genuine national reconciliation. He added that Sri Lanka is committed to this. Noting that India looks forward to an expeditious and constructive approach to the dialogue process, Krishna said New Delhi believes 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. However, the TNA has been opposing formation of the Committee and has made it clear it will not name its nominees. Krishna also noted that Sri Lanka has 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. The Minister also raised the "emotive issue" of Indian fishermen and emphasised the need that this should 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," he said. Krishna also said the bilateral trade in goods would touch USD 5.0 billion mark and pitched for the need to finalise a more comprehensive framework of economic cooperation between the two countries. The Minister also expressed satisfaction at the progress of projects under the development partnership since his last visit in November, 2010. PTI