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`Sri Lankan Government is committed to upholding peace'

Staff Reporter

European Union decision to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam will have a positive impact on the peace talks, says Sumith Nakandala

Sumith Nakandala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The decision of the European Union to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will have a positive impact on the peace talks initiated by the Sri Lankan Government, Sumith Nakandala, Ambassador and Deputy High Commissioner of the Sri Lankan High Commission, has said.

Peace talks

Mr. Nakandala told reporters here on Tuesday that peace talks with the LTTE would be held at Oslo on Wednesday and Thursday. The European countries were the major source for the LTTE to garner funds and hence the ban would have a considerable impact on its activities, he said.

The Sri Lankan Government was committed to upholding peace and democracy and efforts were on to initiate negotiations to ensure peace in Sri Lanka. Mr. Nakandala, who was based in Chennai, was in charge of the southern States, including Chennai, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. He has been transferred to Kathmandu and was on a courtesy visit to meet Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and other dignitaries in the State.

He also called on the members of royal family of erstwhile Travancore at Kowiar palace here. Mr. Nakandala lauded the constructive role played by India in maintaining peace in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Government was keen on developing sustainable relations with India, especially Kerala. It was one of the destinations preferred by the Sri Lankans. The country has solid investments in India. A number of people come to Sabarimala every year for pilgrimage and Guruvayur too is equally important for the people in Sri Lanka, he said.

More collaboration

According to Mr. Nakandala, now the Indo-Sri Lankan trade has been confined to goods alone. Discussions are on to widen the scope of the pact and extend it to the service sector, mainly education, banking, health and insurance. Even now there were collaborative ventures in ayurveda. The increased air connectivity to Sri Lanka from almost all major cities in India has helped attract more tourists to the country. Since both the countries have a lot of cultural similarities, there was more scope for mutual association in various realms, he said.

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