Indo-Lanka talks on nuclear cooperation

India and Sri Lanka on Friday opened talks on a civil nuclear agreement, which government sources said would help assuage Colombo's concerns about the Kudankulam nuclear plant. A joint statement at the end of the talks said, "both sides exchanged views on all aspects of civil nuclear cooperation."

Other benefits of the pact, which are unlikely in the near future as the second round of talks have been scheduled for next year, would be in non-power areas such as health, agriculture and irrigation. Sri Lanka has been exploring non-power nuclear applications, which India has tried to address by gifting a Bhabatron cancer therapy machine.

The issue of safety in the event of a nuclear accident became a major talking point in Sri Lanka around the time protests over the Kudankulam nuclear plant peaked.

After the Indian High Commission in Colombo made a clarification, Sri Lanka had expressed interest in a meeting between the nuclear departments to address this issue.

The Hindu