Sri Lanka visit: SM Krishna to hand over houses to Tamils in Jaffna

NEW DELHI: The first set of houses built by India in Jaffna for ethnic Tamils will be handed over when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna travels to Sri Lanka tomorrow for a four-day visit during which the steps for their rehabilitation and political reconciliation will be discussed.

At least four pacts are expected to be signed covering areas like housing, railways, agriculture and telecom, sources said here today.

Krishna will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister D M Jayaratne besides holding extensive talks with his counterpart G L Peiris. He will also meet the Leader of Opposition and leaders of Tamil National Alliance and Sri Lankan Muslim Congress.

He will will visit Colombo, Jaffna, Kilinochi and Galle. He will also visit the Indian Peacekeeping Force Memorial located outside Colombo.

Considering that the visit is taking place just after the unveiling of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission's report, Krishna is expected to impress upon the Sri Lankan leadership the need for taking steps for its expeditious implementation so that the momentum is not lost, the sources said.

The Commission which went into the war between the Army and the LTTE, has come out with recommendations for enduring political solutions in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, accountability for alleged war crimes and human rights issue.