Sri Lanka's Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G L Peiris who is on a three-day official visit to India from May 15-17 has given this assurance when he met with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and other senior officials during his visit.
A joint statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry of Sri Lanka with India today said the visiting Minister held delegation-level talks with Indian officials to review the entire range of bilateral relations.
The main item among the issues discussed was the devolution of power to the minorities of Sri Lanka.
The Minister affirmed the government's commitment to ensuring expeditious and concrete progress in the ongoing dialogue between the Government of Sri Lanka and representatives of Tamil parties to achieve true reconciliation.
Prof. Peiris also assured that the government will continue to address issues related to resettlement and reconciliation in a focused and progressive manner.
In this regard he highlighted the work of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and informed the Indian officials of the measures taken by the Inter-Agency Advisory Committee (IAAC) chaired by the Attorney General in implementing the Interim Recommendations of the LLRC in relation to detention, law and order, administration and language issues and socio-economic and livelihood issues.
His Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna has urged the Sri Lankan government to promptly implement those measures.
The measures include early return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their respective homes, early withdrawal of emergency regulations, investigations into allegations of human rights violations, restoration of normalcy in affected areas and redress of humanitarian concerns of affected families.
The two sides discussed the progress of ongoing projects in Sri Lanka supported by India and Minister Peiris expressed his appreciation to India for the humanitarian and other assistance including demining and livelihood support measures extended for early relief and resettlement of the IDPs.
The officials have discussed the issue of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters and both sides have agreed that the use of force could not be justified under any circumstances and that all fishermen should be treated in a humane manner.
The two sides have emphasized the importance of an early conclusion of the draft Memorandum of Understanding on Development and Cooperation in the field of Fisheries between India and Sri Lanka.
During the talks, both countries have agreed on the need for reform of the United Nations Security Council and Sri Lanka has reiterated its strong support for India's legitimate claim for permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council.
The Sri Lankan Minister met with India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna, and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon. Indian Foreign Secretary Ms. Nirupama Rao has called on the visiting Minister.
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