Indian Foreign Secretary due here tomorrow

Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will have talks with Sri Lankan officials and Lankan leaders on January 12, officials told Express. Arriving from the Maldives in the morning, Jaishankar will immediately go into meetings with the Lankan Foreign Secretary, Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister.

The Tamil parties have expressed a wish to meet him but it is still not certain if a slot can be found for them given the tight schedule for what is essentially a one day visit. 

Sources said that the main purpose of the visit is to pave the way for the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission (ISLJC) meeting here in early February, which will be attended by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. February 5th and 6th  is the tentative date for the ISLJC meeting.

Swaraj is expected to visit Jaffna also, where she is likely to hand over the Indian-built Duraiappah Stadium, work on which is being done at a feverish pace to meet the deadline.

This will be Jaishankar’s first stand-alone visit as Foreign Secretary, and is officially described as a routine one. But political circles attach importance to the visit given the fact that the Lankan parliament converted itself into a Constitutional Assembly on Saturday, to draft a new constitution for the country. Among other aims, the new constitution is meant to have a new devolution package to promote ethnic reconciliation.

India is very keen to see that the question of devolution is addressed adequately and that the India-inspired 13 th. Constitutional Amendment is built upon. India sees devolution as the key to ethnic reconciliation.

Jaishankar may also urge the Lankan government to get going on the Sampur 500 MW joint venture power project which has been in the doldrums since it was initiated in 2006. Indian railway projects here have also come under a cloud, with the Sirisena government appointing a  committee to inquire into some complaints and that panel coming up with an adverse report. However, no action has been taken on the report yet, because the Minister of Transport thinks that the Indian railway construction company, IRCON International, cannot be faulted. But the  controversy has somewhat jeopardized IRCON’s prospects of getting new contracts. (The New Indian Express)