Strengthen democracy in North and East
Indian PM tells Tamil and Muslim parties:
by Ananth Palakidnar
[email protected]
Tamil and Muslim political parties from the North and the East
briefed extensively the Indian Premier Dr. Manmohan Singh and his senior
officials who are here in Colombo to attend the SAARC Summit on the
ground realities in the North and the East and called upon India to help
find a early political solution to the Lankan crisis.
The discussions began on Friday at 6.30 pm and continued till 8.30 pm
at the Taj Samudra Hotel.
The Tamil Democratic National Alliance, Tamil National Alliance,
Eelam People’s Democratic Party, Upcountry People’s Front and the Sri
Lanka Muslim Congress held a separate discussion with the Indian leader
who was accompanied by his Foreign Secretary Shiva Shankar Menon,
Defence Advisor M.K. Narayanan and the Indian envoy in Colombo Alok
Prasad.
Darmalingam Sitharthan of the Tamil Democratic National Alliance told
the Sunday Observer that Dr. Manmohan Singh was very keen on listening
to the ground situation in the North and the East.”
We briefed him that the LTTE was badly hit and it was high time for
the outfit to give up the struggle. Responding to our briefing the
Indian Premier said that no solution could be found militarily and that
the problem could be addressed only through political means.
The Indian leader also stressed the need to strengthen and protect
the democratic forces in the North and the East and expressed concern
over the humanitarian issues in the North and the East”, Sitharthan
said. Minister and Eelam People’s Democratic Party leader Douglas
Devananda also briefed the Indian Premier on the Task Force that was
created to look into the rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in
the North.
Minister Devananda called for Indian assistance to the Task Force and
stressed that India should play an important role in rebuilding the
North.
The Indian leader also told the Tamil and Muslim parties that he
would concentrate more on the Lankan issue with his officials once he
returned to New Delhi. |