Chandrika to discuss peace moves with India

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, FEB. 22. The prospect for ending the civil war in Sri Lanka will be among the many issues that are expected to come up in the talks between the visiting Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, and the Indian leadership tomorrow.

With the Norwegian initiative to facilitate talks between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at a sensitive stage, and elections for the Tamil Nadu Assembly round the corner, there is no expectation here of any ringing statements by either Sri Lanka or India.

The Sri Lankan President arrived here this evening amid tight security. At the request of Colombo, New Delhi has kept the arrangements for Ms. Kumaratunga's visit at a low key.

Ms. Kumaratunga will hold substantive talks with the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, tomorrow. The External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, and the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, will call on her.The President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, is hosting a banquet for the visiting leader.

While Norway remains hopeful of an early movement in the peace process, there is nothing yet on the ground to suggest a breakthrough is at hand. The Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE are said to be chewing on a set of confidence-building measures proposed by Norway.

The Government is unwilling to confirm or reject media speculation that India is opposed to the use of troops from other countries to monitor any future agreements between Colombo and the LTTE. The warring sides are yet to arrive at an accord and it may be premature to talk about India's attitude towards a monitoring mechanism, sources said.

SAARC summit

Sri Lanka as Chairman of the SAARC is likely to raise the question of holding an early summit of the leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.India has been reluctant to join the summit since Gen. Pervez Musharraf ousted the civilian Government in Pakistan in a coup in October 1999.The Foreign Office spokesmna said India remained committed to the SAARC process and pointed to an earlier understanding between New Delhi and Colombo when the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, came here last December. The two sides had agreed that a meeting of the Standing Committee of the SAARC ``could be considered'' if the current round of expert-level meetings among South Asian nations come up with significant decisions.

Even if India and Sri Lanka agree to hold an early meeting of the South Asian Foreign Secretaries, it may not necessarily imply that New Delhi is now ready for a SAARC summit. The key to the SAARC deadlock may lie elsewhere - in the state of Indo-Pak. relations and the ability of Gen. Musharraf to contain cross- border terrorism.

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