India, Sri Lanka agree on joint working group on Fisheries

Addu (Maldives), Nov 11 (PTI) India and Sri Lanka have agreed that the Joint Working Group on Fisheries should meet and discuss steps to ensure that peace and harmony prevailed in the waters between the two countries and Indian fishermen are not attacked by Lankan navy. The decision was taken at a meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the sidelines of the SAARC summit here on Thursday. They were of the opinion that the JWG should ensure that fishermen of India and their counterparts in North Sri Lanka, both speaking Tamil, should meet and discuss issues of common concern. Briefing newsmen on the meeting, India's Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters that Singh stressed that water between the two countries should be free from violence. Singh took up the issue of resettlement of internally displaced people (IDPs) and the sentiments in India that it evokes. Rajapaksa said that there are still about 7,000 IDPs awaiting resettlement and steps would be ensured to see that they are taken care of. The issue of economic projects in Sri Lanka was also taken up. PTI