PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSA SEEKS INDIAN HELP TO SOLVE SRI LANKA’S NATIONAL PROBLEM AND TELLS INDIA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT COULD PURSUE PRABHAKARAN TO COME TO A NEGOTIATING TABLE
(By Walter Jayawardhana)
Los Angeles:- President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that India is the only country that could pursue Velupillai Prabhakaran , the elusive Tamil Tiger leader to sit down at a negotiating table to solve Sri Lanka’s national problem.
But he said it was an extremely difficult task to bring a man hiding in a jungle and not believing in democracy over to a negotiating table .
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said India’s help is very crucial to solve the Sri Lankan problem. “India must help us in every possible way,” said the president, who pointed out that being a neighbour India has the capability of pursuing Prabhakaran to come to the talks table.
President Rajapaksa said so in an interview granted to Renu Agal of the New Delhi Bureau of the BBC’s Hindi Language service. The interview is now published in the BBC’s Hindi website in Nagari script and an English translation in the BBC’s Sinhala Service website.
Telling federalism would be a solution to the current problem the Sri Lankan President said a committee of experts is chalking out a design of power devolution in the country and they are seriously looking at the Indian constitution for guidance.
Mahinda Rajapaksa said he definitely did not want to go to war and he was not a man of war .
The Sri Lankan President gave the Interview to Renu Agal, of the BBC’s Hindi service when women journalists of India came recently on a Sri Lankan tour at the invitation of the President.
The President further said whatever constitution Sri Lanka adopts it should be acceptable to all namely the Sinhalese Tamils and the Muslims.
He was very hopeful that he could solve this serious problem that has ended the lives of 65,000 people.
President Rajapaksa told the BBC’s Hindi service, “I have a feeling that I can do that (find a solution). I am ready to listen and work with them (the LTTE) because Prabhakaran is a Sri Lankan. He’s not an outsider so I am ready to meet him and talk to him but he is not ready.”
President Rajapaksa’s invitation to India to take an initiative comes at a time when the LTTE is attempting to get rid of European monitors.
