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Friday, November 14, 2008 - 4.31 GMT |
‘Tamil people my responsibility’, President
tells India
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Tamil people are very much a part of his
responsibilities as the Head of State and
Government and that he would take all
measures for their safety, security and
welfare, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa to
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
during a bilateral meeting on November 13,
on the margins of the Second BIMSTEC Summit
being held on that same day in New Delhi.
“The Government will engage in discussions
only if the LTTE lays down its arms first,
thereby preventing the resumption of another
round of terrorism, as has always happened
in the past,” added President Rajapaksa.
A press release issued by the Sri Lanka High
Commission, New Delhi on November 13 said:
“The Indian Prime Minister expressed his
appreciation for President Rajapaksa having
sent to Delhi at the end of last month as a
Special Envoy his Senior Advisor and Member
of Parliament, Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. The
Prime Minister added that the discussions on
that occasion had been most constructive and
that he valued the facilitatory arrangements
expeditiously put in place by the Government
of Sri Lanka, for the distribution of relief
to the civilian population in the affected
Districts of the Northern Province.
”Having taken note of the Resolution adopted
by the Tamil Nadu State Assembly on 12th
November 2008 calling for a ceasefire in Sri
Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa
emphasized that he and his administration
have always been for a political solution.
However, it is the LTTE that repeatedly
violated its obligations and embarked on a
path of conflict and terror. Moreover, it
is necessary to be mindful of the LTTE's
past track record of using a ceasefire in
order to re-group and re-arm, with no
intention of a political solution.
Accordingly, the Government will engage in
discussions only if the LTTE lays down its
arms first, thereby preventing the
resumption of another round of terrorism, as
has always happened in the past.
”President Rajapaksa emphasized that the
Tamil people are very much a part of his
responsibilities as the Head of State and
Government and that he would take all
measures for their safety, security and
welfare. He pointed out in this regard that
he had invited all opposition political
parties to meet with him for a discussion on
the situation. All had responded, with the
exception of the TNA.
”President Rajapaksa used the opportunity to
brief his Indian counterpart on the current
positive developments in the Eastern
Province and the progressive empowerment of
the provincial administration. He added that
similarly democracy would be revitalized in
the North as well through the electoral
process, once that area is liberated from
the terror of the LTTE. Even at the present
consultations were going ahead with the Commissioner of Elections on holding
Municipal Council elections in Jaffna.
”The two Leaders also had an useful
discussion on the bilateral cooperation
currently underway between India and Sri
Lanka, including in the field of energy and
power generation and in particular the
progress being made in setting up ofthe NTPC
- CEB Power Plant in Sampur in the Eastern
Province”.
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