India on Wednes-day pressed for a “meaningful devolution package based on the 13th Amen-dment” and announced a slew of measures to aid quicker rehabilitation of Tamils displaced by conflict and to revitalise trade and security ties with Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Manm-ohan Singh pointed out to visiting Sri Lankan Pres-ident Mahinda Rajapakse that the cessation of hostilities in May 2009 and Mr Rajapakse’s subsequent re-election provided a historic opportunity for him to work towards genuine national reconciliation.
Foreign secretary Niru-pama Rao said India had urged Sri Lanka to take urgent steps to resettle the remaining internally displaced persons. Colombo claims that around 50,000 ethnic Tamils still live in relief camps. India said it would help build 50,000 houses for them in Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern provinces. Mr Raja-pakse is learnt to have told the Indian leadership that he intends to move towards a political settlement, but introduced a caveat: that the reconciliation process should be inclusive and take into account new post-conflict realities. Mr Rajapakse also reassured New Delhi that he would listen to what the Sri Lankan Tamils had to say, saying he had begun the process of consultations.