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Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will be urged to work for a 'southern consensus' to give a push to the island's peace process when he meets Indian leaders at the invitation of the Indian External Affairs Ministry this week, according to an IANS report by Indo Sri Lankan affairs analyst Narayan Swamy.

Wickremesinghe has been urged to work towards a consensus and in the backdrop of talk of a 'national government', according to the report. Meanwhile, there is no significance in Wickremesinghe's visit to India at the time President Rajapakse visited Pakistan, this newspaper learns. The two visits have been entirely put down to coincidence.

The Wickremesinghe-Vajpayee statement issued when Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister (and Vajpayee Prime Minister of India...) called for closer defense ties, declaring: "India will maintain an abiding interest in the security of Sri Lanka and remains committed to its sovereignty and territorial integrity".

The news of Wickremesighe being urged to work towards a Southern consensus should be viewed in this context, analysts said. Local analysts also feel that Ranil Wickremesinghe is being urged not to veer sharply away from the government's push for peace. This was precipitated by events following his recent visit to Norway, they speculated.

The government in the meanwhile denies a report that the President's visit to Pakistan is for military assistance. (See related story.)Lucien Rajakarunanayake, Director General of the PRIU (President's Research and Information Unit) said that his quote to the wire service concerned was that "Pakistan had helped us before'' and was a general reference and in no way alluded to any specific request for military assistance from Pakistan.

When contacted, Indian High Commission spokesperson only said "the meeting with Mr. Wickremesinghe is part of regular consultations that the Indian Government has with Sri Lankan political parties." Indian leaders met with Mr. Wickremesinghe before the 2005 election and this is another regular meeting, these sources said.

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