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Photograph Daily Mirror |
A cross party delegation of Indian officials urged the Sri Lankan government to devolve powers to the Tamils, during talks held with Basil Rajapaksa, members of the TNA and the Sri Lankan Muslim Congress.
The Indian delegation, headed by Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, included members from Congress, BJP, JD(U), SP and BJD. Two political parties from Tamil Nadu, AIADMK and DMK, withdrew their support for the visit, calling it futile.
See here for report by The Hindu and The Hindustan Times.
Speaking to PTI, Congress MP, Manicka Tagore, said,
"The delegation told the foreign minister that the issue has to be resolved through political means. In this context, we stressed the need for implementing 13th Amendment under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord which envisages devolution of powers to north and eastern provinces,"
Stating that the resolution of the Tamil question was not possible without foreign intervention, the leader of the TNA, R. Sampanthan, said,
“We are for re-commencing the talks,”
“The issue is that both sides should have faith in the talks. The government should come forward,"
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