‘India should help end strife in Lanka’

With Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar’s assassination putting a question mark on the peace process, former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe has called for ‘‘out-of-the-box thinking’’ to end the ethnic conflict and asked India to get involved.

The Sri Lankan Leader of Opposition said the ‘‘minority government’’ that is in power in Colombo was ‘‘not capable’’ of taking the peace process forward in an effective manner. ‘‘A new, stable government, fortified by a fresh mandate is a pre-requisite for advancing it,’’ he said.

Wickremasinghe, who today delivered the 8th Dinesh Singh lecture on ‘Peace process in Sri Lanka’, said there was a need to reflect on the ‘‘mistakes we have all made’’ as all efforts at finding a negotiated settlement have so far proved unsuccessful.

Considering India an integral part of the peace process, Wickremasinghe said: ‘‘Our position, considering the sensitivities encountered in the past, is to provide India with the opportunity to assist us in the peace process in ways that are mutually-useful and sustainable.’’