Apprehensions allayed

There is no mistaking the significance of the Jaswant Singh mission to Sri Lanka. The apparent objective of the exercise was removal of an...

There is no mistaking the significance of the Jaswant Singh mission to Sri Lanka. The apparent objective of the exercise was removal of any misunderstanding about India8217;s intentions in relation to the island nation8217;s internal conflict. Plus a reaffirmation of an eminently non-in- terventionist role for New Delhi with the policy according high priority to a peaceful conflict resolution as well. The External Affairs Minister8217;s two-day endeavours in Colombo have, by all accounts, helped in this objective. Fully allayed now are all apprehensions about any Indian idea of a military intervention in the war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE. Finally set at rest are fears of this country repeating a past folly and attempting anything so foolhardy and futile as the operation of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force 13 eventful years ago.

Forcefully reiterated and reasserted this is an even more notable and welcome result of the visit is India8217;s firm commitment to the cause of Sri Lanka8217;s unity and territorial integrity.

The announcement of a credit facility assistance of 100 million at this critical juncture for Colombo is certainly not just the quot;humanitarianquot; gesture it is claimed to be, but a candid, even courageous expression of this commitment. The package would have been incomplete without another vital component one that acknowledges New Delhi8217;s commitment to a democratic deal for Sri Lanka8217;s ethnic minority, whose special ties with Tamil Nadu have always been acknowledged.

Here lies, however, the challenge that must be met skillfully for Singh8217;s mission to succeed. He has done wisely to pledge India8217;s unstinted support for Colombo8217;s undertaking of devolution of powers, but to disown categorically any right to pronounce on the package. Unexceptionable, indeed, is his position that it is the privilege of Sri Lanka8217;s parliament to do so, that it would be improper for India to quot;tread upon the sovereign territoryquot; of its neighbour. Some of the statements by his Lankan counterpart Lakshman Kadirgamar have left little doubt that this is precisely the approach that would meet with Colombo8217;s approval.

The complexity of the problem, to which the LTTE is not the only party on the side of the minority, also dictates the same course. Singh8217;s meeting with moderate Tamil leaders signalled support for a larger settlement for lasting peace in the island.

It is not Sri Lanka alone that harbours forces inimical to such a solution. Singh and New Delhi need, in fact, to be even more wary of the challenge within. The National Democratic Alliance has not exactly presented a picture of unity on the issue. The stridently pro-Eelam partners of the NDA 8212; the Marumalarchi DMK and the Pattali Makkal Katchi 8212; have not convinced anyone with their denials of differences with the government as a whole in this regard, while the DMK continues to give such esoteric expressions to its dilemma as its Czechosolvak-type8217; solution.

The polite language of PMK chief Ramadoss does not really tone down his denunciation of the credit assistance announced as an encouragement of Colombo8217;s quot;terrorismquot;. The policy must be proof against such pressures. India8217;s role in relation to Sri Lanka is not, and cannot be, that of a regional power or policeman.