Sri Lanka's new government wants India to play a major role in reviving the deadlocked peace process in the island nation, its foreign minister has said.
Giving India a major role is a must, Tyronne Fernando, who assumed charge as foreign minister on Thursday, said. The new government will go ahead with the Norway-facilitated peace process as a priority and is awaiting a call from Oslo to revive the mechanism, He told the state-run 'Daily News'.
A significant feature of the new government's approach would be the role that India would be given in this process, Fernando said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who wrested control over the government from the people's alliance of president Chandrika kumaratunga by winning a parliamentary majority in the recent election, will visit India from December 22 to 24 with peace initiatives as his priority. He is expected to seek the cooperation of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh in Oslo-backed efforts to get direct talks going between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.
Referring to the revival of peace talks, Fernando said: “This is one of our top, urgent issues. The prime minister considers this the most compelling issue that should be addressed without delay with Norwegian assistance.” Wickremesinghe dedicated a considerable part of his inaugural speech to parliamentarians from his United National Party and other allies in the government to educate the new MPs on the peace process, Fernando said.
Bureau Report