External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna met his Sri Lankan
counterpart G.L. Peiris, who arrived here on a four-day visit Wednesday, and
discussed a host of bilateral issues.
Peiris briefed Krishna about steps taken by the Sri Lankan
government to resettle around 300,000 Tamil civilians displaced in the war
against the LTTE, said official sources.
Krishna reiterated India's position about expediting an
enduring political settlement revolving around devolution of powers to minority
communities.
These issues would also figure in discussions between Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday.
Rajapaksa arrived here Thursday afternoon to attend the
Commonwealth Games closing ceremony as the guest of honor.
Singh will host a lunch for Rajapaksa and his delegation,
comprising Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris and Foreign Secretary C.R. Jayasinghe,
at his residence Friday.
Rajapaksa returns to Colombo late Friday afternoon.
Peiris will, however, stay on in India for another day. He
will hold talks with Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Commerce and Industry
Minister Anand Sharma, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon.
Peiris will deliver the R.K. Mishra Memorial Lecture on
"Growth, Equity and Security: Constitutional Imperatives for South
Asia," at Teen Murti House Friday evening. The lecture has been organized
by the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank.
Peiris will also discuss Krishna's forthcoming visit to Sri
Lanka, likely on Oct. 27 to 31. Krishna will see the progress in rehabilitating
displaced civilians.
