DMK happy if Tamils get separate Eelam in Lanka: Karunanidhi

Chennai, Nov 29 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today reiterated that his party would be happy if the Tamils in Sri Lanka get a separate Eelam.

Talking to mediapersons here tonight, after returning from New Delhi, Mr Karunanidhi said his party had no objection to the Tamil Tigers quest for a separate Eelam in Sri Lanka.

Responding to the recent declaration of LTTE Chief Prabhakaran that the Tigers would intensify its fight for seperate Eelam, he said ''the DMK, for long, held that it will be happy if they (LTTE) gets a separate Eelam in Sri Lanka.

At the same time, the party will also be happy, if the Tamils reached a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Sri Lankan government.'' He said he had apprised Congress President Sonia Gandhi about the situation in Sri Lanka, as discussed by India Foreign Secretary Shivsankar Menon and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan with him recently.

On the uncertainity over India's humanitarian food aids reaching the Tamils in Sri Lanka, he said as per the media reports it was understood that preparations were on to despatch the assistance.

Mr Karunanidhi, however, parried questions on Mr Menon's statement that the sending of humanitarian aids and its modalities should be discussed with the Sri Lankan government.

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