President Rajapaksa may visit India

by Ashok Tuteja

(October 30, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Even as the military offensive against the LTTE cadres continues in the island nation, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to be in India shortly on a crucial visit that will provide him an opportunity to brief the Indian leadership on the situation in his country.

Rajapaksa’s New Delhi mission is primarily aimed at attending the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Scientific, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit to be held here from November 11-13.

Indian officials and Sri Lankan high commission sources here confirmed that arrangements were being made for Rajapaksa’s visit to India during which he is expected to also have bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Indian leaders.

There are also indications that external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee might visit Colombo early next month to formally invite Rajapaksa for the BIMSTEC summit as also to discuss the situation in the island nation with the Sri Lankan leadership.

The military action in Sri Lanka has raised the heckles of political parties in Tamil Nadu, which have urged the UPA regime to come forward and ask the Sri Lankan government to end the ‘genocide’ of Tamilians. The military action has resulted in nearly 2,00,000 civilians being rendered homeless.

India has already taken up the matter with the Sri Lankan government and urged it to find a political settlement of the ethnic crisis, which respects the rights of all minorities, including Tamils, and at the same time protects the unity of the island nation.

Recently, Rajapkasa had sent his brother and special envoy Basil Rajapaksa to New Delhi to discuss the situation with the Indian leaders. He had assured New Delhi that the Sri Lankan navy would stop firing on Indian vessels and take care of the well being of the Tamil community in the country.

Sources here said New Delhi was going ahead with preparations for the summit though the political crisis in Thailand was a cause of anxiety since the South East Asian nation also is a member of the grouping. The presence of the head of the state or government of each member nation is mandatory for the BIMSTEC summit to take place.

The BIMSTEC brings together the seven nations of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. The summit was earlier scheduled to be held in February 2007.

Senior officials of the BIMSTEC countries would meet on November 11, followed by a meeting of the foreign ministers the next day. The summit will be held on November 13, with the focus being on terrorism and cooperation social and economic sectors. - Sri Lanka Guardian