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Rs. 500-crore aid package likely
for Sri Lankan Tamils
WSN Newtwork
NEW DELHI: India
is considering a Rs. 500-crore aid package for civilians displaced
by the conflict between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee has said.
“We have assured
the Sri Lankan authorities that we will provide the necessary
support. Already our Prime Minister has committed Rs.100 crore
relief support to these [internally displaced] people and the Tamil
Nadu government has announced a package of Rs. 25 crore. I
understand that Rs. 45 crore has already been spent,” pointed out
Mr. Mukherjee.
The announcement
about the humanitarian relief came a few hours after Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Mukherjee
emphasised the need for a political solution while maintaining the
territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. “There should be political
solution and the political solution includes devolution of power,
participation in the election and [people of Tamil origin] have the
full rights as citizens of
Sri Lanka.
Of course maintaining the territorial integrity of that country and
within the framework of Sri Lankan Constitution is of paramount
importance,” he said.
The details of
the aid package would be finalised by the time India sent its
special envoys to Sri Lanka.
Earlier National
Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar
Menon had travelled to Colombo as special envoys and had discussed
the situation.
India
believes their visit led to Sri Lanka stopping the use of heavy arms
including artillery barrages and fighter bombing runs against LTTE
fighters to avoid death of civilians who were being used as human
shields by the militants.
The envoys are
likely to reiterate India’s request to Sri Lanka to urgently
initiate the process of political reconciliation whose absence led
to a 26-year-old civil war.
The steps
desired by New Delhi and assured by Colombo include a sincere
devolution of powers in northern and eastern Sri Lanka along with
other measures that assure a life of security and dignity for the
Tamil-origin people.
Government
sources here said while the Sri Lankan government’s action against
the LTTE was not challengeable, the question of assistance became
imperative after thousands of civilians were killed and lakhs
displaced due to the conflict. Hence the priority is now to deal
quickly with the situation so that national reconciliation can take
place in an effective manner.
20
May 2009
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