Colombo: India is keen to open a consulate in Jaffna, the erstwhile stronghold of the LTTE, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Monday, even as she pressed for political reconciliation among all communities in Sri Lanka so as to usher in peace and harmony.
Rao, who held wide ranging discussion with President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, said she received positive response from
him on India request to open a consulate in Jaffna.
"Of course we have to work out the modalities. Because
we feel our office there will help us to be in touch with the
local people, help us do assistance programme, help issue
visas," she said.
Rao said the opening an Indian mission in Jaffna will
ultimately help the bilateral relationship and it would also
benefit the people of the north to see connectivity restored
with the southern India. India has only one consulate in
Kandy, the Sinhala dominated area.
At the conclusion of her three-day visit to the Sri
Lanka, the top Indian diplomat said that during her two hour
discussions with Rajapaksa yesterday, the early resettlement
of the IDPs also came up for talks.
"People in the north want to see normal life once
again. The sense I get people don’t want conflict. They are
not in favour of extremism. They want normal lives. They want
to be pragmatic in their approach to this.
"There aspirations, their self respect, their
essential interests to be preserved. They want connectivity
with India, cultural renaissance, tourism. They are hunger for
all that," she said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 08, 2010, 20:31