India stands firm on not accepting a mediatory role in Sri Lanka
The Indian leadership has made use of the first opportunity available to it to directly convey at the highest level to Sri Lanka that stabilisation of the February 2002 ceasefire agreement and an early negotiated resolution of the ethnic conflict remained a top priority for New Delhi’s diplomatic engagement with Colombo. The opportunity came when Sri Lanka’s new President Mahinda Rajapakse visited New Delhi last week on his first foreign visit since assuming the island republic’s executive presidency in mid-November. Increasing instances of violation of the February 2002 ceasefire agreement in recent weeks have been a matter of concern to New Delhi. More so because these violations have occurred in the backdrop of some doubts about the commitment of Colombo and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – the two parties to the agreement – to continuing the three-year old peace process.
With bitter memories of the IPKF days still lingering, the Manmohan Singh government has distanced itself from Mr Rajapakse’s apparent desire to get New Delhi involved in a more active role as a mediator in the nearly four-year old tenuous peace process. He was told that the Indian involvement would continue to be confined to providing “intellectual and academic” inputs for the peace process. It was also made clear to the Lankan leader that India did not envisage for itself a direct mediatory role, least of all replacing Norway as the facilitator of the negotiations. Mr Rajapakse might not be too comfortable with the Norwegian facilitation; but, in view of India’s unwillingness, he would have to rely on the Norwegians if his administration is serious about reviving talks with the LTTE. New Delhi has conveyed to the Lankan leader that a realistic solution to the ethnic problem ought to be evolved around a constitutional devolution package within the framework of Sri Lanka’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It is encouraging that Mr Rajapakse has seemingly assured New Delhi that he would be “flexible” in his approach to the peace process. He has concurred with the Indian leadership that developmental work in North and Northeastern regions of the island republic should not wait until settlement of the ethnic problem. On its part, New Delhi has offered to participate in joint venture initiatives with Colombo and provide technical and financial assistance for specific projects in the two regions.
