MDMK says defence pact with Lanka put off
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singhe has given an assurance to a pro-LTTE party in the ruling alliance that New Delhi would not sign any defence agreement with Sri Lanka for the time being in the interest of Tamils in the island nation, the UNI news agency reported.

Disclosing this to reporters, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam chairman L. Ganesan said the assurance was given following opposition from his party on the reports that the Palaly air base in Sri Lanka would be upgraded with assistance from India.

It would be detrimental to the interest of the Sri Lankan Tamils, if the Palaly base was upgraded, Mr. Ganesan said and added MDMK General Secretary Vaiko had also spoken to the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister and Congress Party president on this issue.

In the joint statement issued on November 7 at the end of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's visit to New Delhi, the two countries said “ it was resolved that a bilateral Defence Cooperation and the MOU on the rehabilitation of the airfield in Palaly would be signed between the two governments on mutually convenient dates".

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