EU seeks to engage India in Lankan peace process

The European Union is looking to a greater Indian involvement in Sri Lanka's peace process, said Alessandra Baldi of the Council of the European Union's Policy Unit - Asia Task Force on Wednesday. Describing the situation in Sri Lanka as "very difficult", she said the EU was looking for closer co-ordination with India, along with Norway and other co-chairs.

"We are developing a dialogue with India. This year we launched the first session of our strategic dialogue with India and Sri Lanka has been one of the subjects. We are looking forward to taking it forward again," the Asia expert said. Addressing a group of visiting South Asian journalists in Brussels with Cristina Gallach, spokesperson for the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Ms. Baldi said a framework for policy in Sri Lanka had been decided on.

"The situation has been so difficult that we really have to review our policy there, to look at fresh initiatives. It is difficult to look at fresh initiatives because we believe you need some willingness on the part of the two sides to the conflict. We have been pushing so hard and nothing positive was coming out of the ground. There has to be genuine willingness on the part of the two sides to make a step forward and re-engage with the process. We have been adamant that they have to go back to the negotiating table, they have to stop the violence," she said.

"We have also been in close touch with the Government of Sri Lanka. Our concerns with the human rights situation have been really heightened this year, with the situation of the NGOs, it has been really terrible. We have been in favour of investigating that, of an international investigation and we are pleased at the turn of events."

"One of the ingredients in this whole recipe is certainly closer co-ordination with India," she said adding "we want to try. Our relationship with India is much closer so we believe there is a chance." Citing the example of Nepal where an agreement was signed last week with the government and the Maoist rebels, she said the EU and India had thought along the same lines to strengthen the democratic process and encourage a comprehensive dialogue. "Working with Japan, with Norway, with the US is important but we also need the regional weight of India."

The EU would like to see more political vision on the part of the parties concerned, Ms. Baldi said, affirming that while the EU could accompany and facilitate the process, it could not work without or against the will of the parties. Also supporting the concept of regional involvement was British Member of the European Parliament, Robert Evans who told the journalists on Thursday in Brussels that Sri Lanka's over 20-year conflict had basically been ignored by the rest of the world. "Sri Lankan problems would have been solved if Sri Lanka was having more of an impact on the rest of the world. We haven't been properly involved."

Asked if India should play a bigger role, Mr. Evans said that there could be difficulties given the history of the recent past such as the killing of Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi. "But we're almost into sort of imperial measures if it's the EU or Britain trying to impose a solution on Sri Lanka or to help them. It should be the other South Asian countries in full support and my own view is that anything that pushes the peace process forward must be beneficial to the ordinary Sri Lankan people who are crying out for peace," he said.