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Lanka
preparing response to India's LTTE-ban letter
Foreign Secretary S. Palihakkara said that legal consultations are under way by the Colombo Foreign Office to respond to India's letter informing them about the renewal of the ban which had been conveyed to Colombo last month. He said the procedure of informing the Foreign Ministry was 'routine' and that the Ministry had to have legal consultations to respond to the letter. Indian High Commissioner Nirupan Sen told The Sunday Times last night that the procedure followed the Indian Government's decision to extend the ban on the LTTE for a two-year period on May 14. They had followed the routine procedure of publishing the notice in local newspapers and informing the Foreign Ministry of their decision, he said. Under the law it is required that the renewal of the ban on the LTTE be conveyed to the organisation which is described as a proscribed organisation in India, he added. The ban on the LTTE first came into effect on May 14, 1992 following the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Meanwhile Mr. Sen who is due to leave Sri Lanka next month to take up his new post as India's representative to the United Nations in New York in an interview with The Sunday Times said there was no change in New Delhi's policy towards Sri Lanka under the new government. "The basic parameters remain. We believe in the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Sri Lanka. There should be a solution that is acceptable to all sections of the people." Mr Sen reiterated the need to have safeguards for religious minorities. He was thinking particularly of the Muslim community who might be disadvantaged in any exercise in devolution of power. Asked about the LTTE's insistence on discussing its interim self-governing authority first, the High Commissioner said that as far as India was concerned any interim settlement should be anchored into the final settlement. "We believe that any solution should be consistent with pluralism and democracy." In that sense the decision of the renegade rebel leader Karuna to enter the political process was a "good thing", he said. Asked about recent requests to India to take up the role of facilitator of peace negotiations, Mr. Sen said India could not do so because it did not talk to one side, the LTTE. He said the ban on the LTTE was renewed recently and no government functionary could talk to the LTTE without running into the real danger of facing public-interest litigation that could be filed by any Indian citizen. Asked whether India's position on the LTTE's ISGA had changed, he was quite emphatic that there was no rethinking as there were many factors in it that were unacceptable, such as the LTTE's control of seas, the resources and seeking redress in the international court. On the economic side, Mr Sen said a positive signal from the new government was that it favoured direct Indian assistance and would like to take up integrated projects. He said India had long time experience in establishing vocational training institutes, for instance, and this would be one area in which India could help. He said the economic nuance now was greater specificity and targeted assistance. With regard to the Indian line of credit sought by Sri Lanka to stabilise oil prices locally, he said it was under consideration right now. Asked what lessons he learnt during this second tour in Sri Lanka and as head of mission, Mr Sen said no Indo-Sri Lankan relationship could be maintained without talking to those in Sri Lanka's south and those who represent the people there. Another lesson, he said, was that it was not possible to have a relationship with a "rump of the UNP. We need to have relations with all parties." |
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