Concerned over the spiralling violence in Sri Lanka, India today said such incidents would undermine efforts to reach a negotiated settlement. Both countries agreed on early resumption of talks to strengthen the ceasefire.The situation in Sri Lanka and the peace process were discussed in detail by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who also had a one-on-one 40 minutes meeting.According to the MEA Spokesperson, India was concerned over the recent escalation of violence and repeated violations of the ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is yet to agree on a neutral venue for talks. The trend, the Spokesperson said, could only ‘‘undermine the search for a negotiated political settlement which is critical for peace and resumption of talks aimed at finding a solution’’ to Sri Lanka’s ethnic problems.LTTE, which had issued an ultimatum of sorts soon after Rajapakse’s election as President, suggested that talks be held at an European venue, possibly in Norway. The new Sri Lankan government, however, is insisting on an Asian venue.Rajapakse, who is in India on his first visit abroad after winning the elections, briefed Singh on his assessment of the current status of the peace process in Sri Lanka. Both sides agreed that peace talks aimed at strengthening the ceasefire should begin at the earliest. On whether India was ready to play greater role in Sri Lankan peace process as desired by Rajapakse, the Spokesman evaded a direct reply saying New Delhi’s position was ‘‘well known’’ in this regard. India has been cautious in getting directly involved in the peace process despite calls made by various sections, including the Sri Lankan government, Buddhists and Norwegian negotiators.It may be noted that Rajapakse himself had indicated a preference to India becoming a co-chair in the peace quatret comprising US, Norway, European Union and Japan.While Rajapakse has welcomed India’s commitment to peace and security in Sri Lanka, there was a bit of a setback with Tamilnadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa expressing her inability to meet the new Sri Lankan President. The MEA maintained that this was largely because time slots could not be finalised as Rajapakse had only a day available with him. The Sri Lankan President will be visiting Kerala.Other bilateral issues like increasing cooperation in economic and energy areas also came up during the talks.
