New Delhi, Oct 21: Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon on Monday said that high-level talks might take place between India and Sri Lanka to resolve the issue of ethnic Tamils in the island nation.
Answering to questions on External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Sri Lanka, Menon said, "I think reports have got ahead of reality as no dates have been set. It’s a possibility which has been mentioned.”
“There is a probability that some high-level official discussions with Sri Lankan dignitaries coming here might take place," added Menon.
Menon’s comment comes in the wake of Sri Lankan Army’s current offensive in the northern regions of its territory against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is seen by Indian Tamils as adoption of draconian measures against the ethnic Tamils of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has vowed to crush the LTTE militarily. It says its troops are two kilometers from the rebel capital of Kilinochchi.
Sri Lankan troops stepped up its offensive against the LTTE rebels fighting for a separate homeland this year and the government says its forces have killed thousands of rebels since January.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has urged Sri Lanka to solve the conflict politically but said that India was not going to intervene.
Meanwhile, all the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs from Tamil Nadu, both in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have submitted their resignations to the party President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karuanaidhi.
In a statement in Chennai on Saturday, Karunanidhi said the DMK is prepared to pay any price to stop the attacks on Tamils in Sri Lanka, and added, the future of Tamils in the island nation has become a question mark and there is need to protect them.
ANI
