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Ranil remembers Lanka’s friend in need, delivering the 7th Atal Bihari Vajpayee Lecture
View(s):Late Indian Premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a close friend who went out of his way to help Sri Lanka, former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said while delivering the 7th Atal Bihari Vajpayee Lecture in India this week.
Even in the “dark days” of Indo-Lanka relations (1983-1987), then President J.R. Jayewardene had insisted that Colombo’s envoy to New Delhi kept Mr. Vajpayee (who was in the Opposition at the time) updated on the ongoing discussions between Sri Lanka and the Indian Government, he said. 
Mr. Wickremesinghe recalled that when he became Prime Minister for a second time in December 2001, Sri Lanka was facing a severe political crisis. With the attacks on the main port and airport, vessels and aircrafts stopped calling on Sri Lanka, leading to the economy shutting down.
“Thus, we had no option but to enter into a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE,” he recounted. “On becoming Prime Minister, I immediately flew to New Delhi and explained the situation to PM Vajpayee, who also agreed on the need for a ceasefire. Moreover, Sri Lanka required the support of India to deter further attacks by the LTTE, and, to get the peace talks on-track.”
“I always kept Vajpayeeji informed of the progression of our discussions with Norway, Japan, and the LTTE–the conglomerate of friendly-nations that spearheaded the peace process,” Mr. Wickremesinghe continued. “At the very early stages, he told me: ‘Wickremesinghe, this is also a very sensitive issue in India. I can only be one step ahead of Sonia Gandhi. You explain it to her and convince her. Then I can follow up.’ Fortunately, Ms. Sonia Gandhi was partial to resolving the crisis in Sri Lanka and said that, as long as India’s concerns were met, she had no objections.”
Ms. Gandhi was India’s Opposition Leader at the time. Mr. Vajpayee, who died in August 2018, was an Indian politician, statesman and poet who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004.
During their meeting on December 25, 2001, Mr. Vajpayee’s birthday, they laid the groundwork for a closer relationship between India and Sri Lanka, Mr. Wickremesinghe said. In fact, the Indian Premier “went out of his way to help Sri Lanka.”
He did so by ensuring that India reiterated its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and its support for the measures taken to carry forward the peace process here. “As a result of these discussions, I was able to sign a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE in January 2002,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said.
A food shortage was imminent in Sri Lanka and India promised to provide the country with 25,000 tonnes of wheat per month for 12 months.
“Vajpayeeji and I also discussed two other delicate matters,” Mr. Wickremesinghe narrated. “Referring back to discussions between President Jayewardene and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, I too emphasised that the security of our countries should not be compromised in our dealings with one another and with the rest of the world.”
“We also deliberated on developing the abandoned field of oil tanks in Trincomalee, built during World War II,” he continued. “Subsequently, on my way home, when asked for a comment by the Indian media I replied, ‘Christmas has come!’.”
With 2002-03 being crucial years for Indo-Lanka relations, the two leaders agreed on a need to strengthen bilateral relations on other fronts, especially economic, as Sri Lanka was “at the tail-end of the conflict with the LTTE, or so we thought”.
Vajpayeeji left the details to Brijesh Mishra, his Principal Secretary and India’s first National Security Advisor. “My government covered new areas, especially trade, economics and investments,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. “All successive governments on both sides used the same format to carry on discussions. Mishra was against terrorism and gave us all possible support, though this was kept under the radar.”
“The war against terrorism was at its height in the 2000s, and the next two communiques issued by us highlighted the need to oppose all forms of terrorism, be it political, religious or ideological, globally,” he pointed out. “The most substantial item here was the reference in the October 2003 communique to the ongoing cooperation in training, and supply of equipment to Sri Lanka’s defence forces. Mishra had underscored that our armed forces could not afford any more setbacks.”
“Prabhakaran was over-confident regarding the maritime operations of the Sea Tigers,” he observed. “However, in my view, this was the Achilles heel of the LTTE. Therefore, Vajpayeeji and I came to an agreement that we would not allow any nonstate actors to operate in our territorial waters. The outcome was the cooperation between the two countries to combat terrorism by neutralizing the activity of the Sea Tigers.”
By 2003, the situation had turned to the advantage of Sri Lanka, strategically, economically, and internationally. “Prabakaran knew that he could not gain the upper hand at the peace negotiations,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. “Therefore, they began to boycott the peace talks.”
“At this crucial point, India supported us by insisting on a response from the LTTE to the proposals made by the Sri Lanka Government, and, the early resumption of negotiations,” he revealed. “From then onwards, India supported us until the defeat of the LTTE in 2009.”
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