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President Kumaratunga has sought the help of the Indian Air Force to solve the current military situation, while Foreign Minister Kadirgamar is reported to have said that even naval assistance may be sought, sources said, yesterday. On Tuesday, the Deputy Indian Air Force Chief arrived in Sri Lanka which closely followed the departure of the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Shivshankar Menon to India, to brief the Indian government on the current situation prevailing here. The Indian Cabinet together with the three service chiefs met yesterday to discuss Sri Lanka's request for assistance, sources confirmed. However, it is unclear as to whether the air assistance sought is for the evacuation of troops in Jaffna or to defend the Army against the Tigers, by providing air cover. President Kumaratunga however, assured the People's Alliance group that the government would pursue the war, as long as the Tigers are bent in that direction. In her letter to the Indian Premier, President Kumaratunga said the Thampuram Air Force base and the Trivandrum Air Force bases in the southern tip of India could be possible places from where Sri Lanka could get help at this point of time, also adding that Bangalore could be used for air lifting of troops from Jaffna, if necessary. The President, after seeking help from Indian Premier Vajpayee, met with her government members to discuss matters relating to the present situation. According to Reuter reports, Minister Kadirgamar in an interview at New Delhi said that requesting India's aid in pulling out its troops was a "contingency plan that would be a humanitarian exercise". " It possibly could come, it could be on the cards", he said, adding that he saw no reason why India should not respond positively to such a request. Meanwhile, Times of India reported that India wanted to help Colombo but what form this help would take is still unclear. They also said that the Vajpayee government had a growing concern about Sri Lanka's situation and if India refuses, the country most surely may have to turn to someone else and it might be the United States. However, Indian officials have been quoted as saying that diplomatically, Colombo has New Delhi's fullest support, but they are aware that more than moral support is required. The President addressed Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentary members, Chief Ministers and Provincial Council members at a crisis meeting after the Elephant Pass debacle and assured them that the government will take all means necessary to project the interests of the country. She admitted to the gathering that the fall of Elephant Pass was definitely a military setback but is not be considered as a defeat. "I wish to emphasise that this battle will go on, I am afraid, because no sovereign state-definitely not the sovereign state of Sri Lanka- is going to yield territory for exclusive use of one group in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural society like our own", Minister Kadirgamar told Reuters.
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