India calls for effort to strengthen SL-Tigers truce

Colombo, Sep 27: India has called for 'special effort' to strengthen the already fragile ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels and to find a negotiated political settlement based on ''maximum devolution of powers.''

''We believe that today more than ever before special efforts are required to strengthen the ceasefire and work towards a devolution package that could command consensus among the major political parties, restore ethnic harmony and expeditiously address the legitimate aspirations of all sections of Sri Lankan society,'' India's Union Cabinet Minister of Panchayati Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mani Shanker Aiyar, said here yesterday.

Mr Aiyar, a well-known front liner in the ruling Congress Party, made these remarks while making a key note address on 'Current situation in Asia, particularly Southern Asia' at the 47th Death Anniversary of late Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, S W R D Bandaranaike.

During the public lecture the Indian Minister sought to fully defend Indian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao, who had been criticised by Sri Lanka's Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike of dabbling in local politics.

Mr Aiyar also sought to take quotes from the Indian High Commissioner's speech during India's Independence Day this year and said India was ready to share its experience and expertise on the devolution of powers.

''In Nirupama Rao, we have just about the best breed in the Indian foreign service. She has had an outstanding career, and she is going to one of the two most important diplomatic posting outside India -- Beijing in China and Islamabad in Pakistan. And she is being chosen, handpicked as it were, for Beijing,'' he said.

Reiterating India's commitment to Sri Lanka's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity the visiting Indian Minister said that he expected ''to discuss with President Mahinda Rajapaksa the concept of Panchayati Raj in India as Sri Lankan leaders had expressed interest in that concept.'' Quoting extensively from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Aiyar described the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and India as a ''huge success with win-win situation to both the countries.''

UNI

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