Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and his wife with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan.

New Delhi: Amid fears of collapse of the Sri Lankan peace process, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday agreed on the urgency to begin talks, aimed at shoring up the ceasefire between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Mr. Rajapakse, visiting India on his first overseas tour since becoming President last month, held talks with Dr. Singh for 40 minutes. At the delegation-level talks that followed, he briefed the Indian side on his assessment of the status of the peace process, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said. "Both sides agreed that peace talks, aimed at strengthening the ceasefire, should begin at the earliest."

The spokesperson said the discussions also covered "the wide ranging economic and commercial cooperation that existed between the two countries, as well as ways and means of enhancing it in the coming years. Specific issues in this context that came up were the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, cooperation in the field of railways, civil aviation, information technology and energy."

The spokesperson refused to get drawn into a public discussion of the Sri Lankan proposal of India playing a greater role in the peace process. Asked about India's willingness to become the fifth co-chair of the peace talks (along with Norway, the United States, Japan and the European Union), the spokesperson said India's position was "well known" and that Mr. Rajapakse had "welcomed India's commitment to peace and security in Sri Lanka."

Referring to the spate of recent incidents — ranging from mine blasts to rebel attacks — which claimed the lives of more than 40 Sri Lankan soldiers in the past month, the spokesperson said India was "deeply concerned" at the recent escalation of violence and "the repeated violations of the ceasefire." This trend would "only undermine the search for a negotiated political settlement which was critical for the maintenance of peace and for the resumption of talks.

Confirming that Mr. Rajapakse's visit to Tamil Nadu had been put off following cancellation of his appointment with Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the spokesperson denied that there was anything untoward in her decision. "I would not characterise it an embarrassment or anything like that," he said.

"The programme for Tamil Nadu for the visiting President was tentative in nature and was based on mutual convenience. Given the fact that the President has a full schedule in Delhi and other places and the fact that the Chief Minister was not available that day, the programme has been changed," he said.

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