In a bid to perhaps assuage any hurt or anger that Sri Lanka might feel following India’s vote against it at the UN Human Rights Council, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written to President Mahinda Rajapakse hoping ties between the two nations will “continue to grow from strength”. Dr Singh has also affirmed to the Sri Lankan leader that New Delhi had introduced “an element of balance in the language of the resolution”.
Dr Singh, who reached South Korea on a four-day visit on Saturday evening, despatched the letter to Mr Rajapakse late Friday night from New Delhi, sources said. In it, he pressed Sri Lanka on the need to proceed with devolution of powers to its Tamil provinces. On the “element of balance” India had introduced in the US-sponsored resolution, the PM said New Delhi had “spared no effort” in the matter.
Dr Singh added: “It is our conviction that a meaningful devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment, will lead to a lasting political settlement on many of these issues and create conditions in which all citizens of Sri Lanka, irrespective of ethnicity, can find justice, dignity, equality and self-respect.”
He noted India had “stood firmly by Sri Lanka in its struggle against terrorism”, and that the end of the conflict provided “at long last an opportunity for genuine national reconciliation”.