India urges peaceful solution in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels must forego violence and return to the negotiating table to resolve their decades-old conflict, finance minister P Chidambaram said on Sunday during a visit to the island.
By Agencies |
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels must forego violence and return to the negotiating table to resolve their decades-old conflict, India's finance minister said on Sunday during a visit to the island.
The minister, P Chidambaram, said while New Delhi backed Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity, military action would not bring an end to the rebels' drive for a separate state for minority Tamils. "Senseless acts of terror on the one side (by rebels) or planned operations by the armed forces on the other side will only result in more death and destruction," Chidambaram said.
"Neither side can finally prevail over the other through conflict. Peace must be forged at the negotiating table," he said in a lecture to honour slain Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, killed in a 2005 attack. "India has emphasised that the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka ... should be resolved through a negotiated political settlement that includes a credible devolution of powers," he added.
India tried to help broker peace in Sri Lanka in 1987, but ended up fighting Tamil Tiger rebels for nearly three years till Indian troops withdrew in March 1990. Since then, New Delhi has adopted a hands-off approach to the conflict. Chidambaram's message came as Colombo vowed to step up military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and crush terrorism before any political deal to end decades of ethnic strife.
"The continuation of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka will deepen the divisions in Sri Lankan society and will make a negotiated settlement more difficult," he said. "It will also have an adverse impact on the economy, evidence of which is already noticed." Tens of thousands of people have died since the conflict began in 1972. Fighting has escalated since December 2005 when a Norwegian-brokered truce began to unravel.
The minister, P Chidambaram, said while New Delhi backed Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity, military action would not bring an end to the rebels' drive for a separate state for minority Tamils. "Senseless acts of terror on the one side (by rebels) or planned operations by the armed forces on the other side will only result in more death and destruction," Chidambaram said.
"Neither side can finally prevail over the other through conflict. Peace must be forged at the negotiating table," he said in a lecture to honour slain Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, killed in a 2005 attack. "India has emphasised that the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka ... should be resolved through a negotiated political settlement that includes a credible devolution of powers," he added.
India tried to help broker peace in Sri Lanka in 1987, but ended up fighting Tamil Tiger rebels for nearly three years till Indian troops withdrew in March 1990. Since then, New Delhi has adopted a hands-off approach to the conflict. Chidambaram's message came as Colombo vowed to step up military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and crush terrorism before any political deal to end decades of ethnic strife.
"The continuation of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka will deepen the divisions in Sri Lankan society and will make a negotiated settlement more difficult," he said. "It will also have an adverse impact on the economy, evidence of which is already noticed." Tens of thousands of people have died since the conflict began in 1972. Fighting has escalated since December 2005 when a Norwegian-brokered truce began to unravel.
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