Rao meets Rajapaksa, pushes for political solution

T V Sriram
Colombo, Mar 7 (PTI) India Sunday assured Sri Lanka of
its support to the process of resettlement and rehabilitation
of Tamil civilians displaced due to the war and pushed for a
political solution to the decades-old ethnic question.

In the first high-level contact between the two
countries after the January 26 Presidential polls here,
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao met President Mahinda
Rajapaksa and assured India's support to the process of
resettlement of the civilians.
A majority of the nearly 3 lakh Tamils have been sent
back to their towns and villages from the welfare camps.
Rao, who met Rajapaksa over lunch at 'Janadhipathi
Mandiraya' (President's House), congratulated him for his
resounding victory in the January 26 Presidential polls.
"She expressed India's willingness to continue
assisting Sri Lanka in the resettlement of the IDPs...India
was also keen to assist in the complete restoration of the
railway line in the North," an official statement from the
Presidential Secretariat said.
Official sources said Rao also raised the issue of a
political solution to the ethnic question in Sri Lanka with
Rajapaksa.
"Among other issues, the prospects of holding a
dialogue of reconciliation was also discussed," the sources
said.
India is assisting Sri Lanka in relief and
rehabilitation of the displaced Tamil civilians and has
already allocated Rs 500 crore for this purpose. (MORE)PTI TVS
MYR


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