COLOMBO: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrives here on Tuesday on a day-long visit. He is expected to reiterate the Indian position for expeditious resolution of the ethnic conflict to address aspirations of all sections, including Tamils, within the framework of a united Sri Lanka.

Mr. Mukherjee is to invite Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the 14th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), to be held in New Delhi on April 3 and 4. However, the visit acquires significance in the context of stepped-up hostilities between the Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and misgivings in certain quarters here about the Indian policy on the ethnic strife.

Speculation

The recent meeting between pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi has raised the hackles in a section of the official circles and given room to speculation of a shift in the traditional stand of India towards the ethnic conflict.

A senior official told The Hindu that there was no basis for such apprehension. "Indian policy towards Sri Lanka has been consistent. There is, in fact, [a] discernable shift in the approach of the Sri Lanka Government towards resolution of the ethnic conflict. Sections of the establishment seem to be putting undue emphasis on a military solution and such an approach has no backing within and outside the country."

"Nothing extraordinary"

About the recent meeting between the TNA parliamentary delegation and the Prime Minister, the official maintained that it was nothing extraordinary. "In 2005, when the then External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh visited Colombo, a TNA delegation had met him and sought a meeting with the Prime Minister. They were told it would be arranged as and when possible," the official said.

Political process

There is a great deal of concern within and outside Sri Lanka on the recent escalation of violence. Slow movement on the political process for resolution of the conflict coupled with measures such as de-merger of northern and eastern provinces has only heightened worries about the current situation.

All these issues, in addition to bilateral relations, will figure during Mr. Mukherjee's meetings with the President, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.

The Minister is scheduled to fly from here to the Maldives to extend an invitation to its leader for the SAARC summit. Mr. Mukherjee has already travelled to Bhutan and Nepal and will be visiting Pakistan on January 13.

U.N. appeal

The United Nations, while condemning the deliberate targeting of civilians in the latest incidents involving two civilian buses, has called for the protection of all civilians on the island.

In a statement here, the U.N. said the situation in Vaharai in the east was grave and demanded an urgent response. According to Government estimates, 15,000 people are isolated without access to food or basic supplies as stocks are decimated. Since November 29, when the last convoy of humanitarian supplies was allowed in, there has been no access to Vaharai for humanitarian agencies.

"We stand ready to assist those still trapped in Vaharai. These persons are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. We must always recall that it is the most weak who remain behind — the elderly, the sick and the disabled. They are still without access to food, emergency medical services, and shelter, and continue to be caught in the middle of relentless fighting," said Amin Awad, Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

The statement said the United Nations further reminds both parties of their obligations under International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, as expressed in the Security Council Resolutions on the Protection of Civilians and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

TamilNet claim

TamilNet claimed that three civilians were killed on Monday morning when the Army stepped up artillery fire on Vaharai, including the civilian refugee area comprising the Vaharai hospital, where thousands of internally displaced persons were staying.

There was no immediate response to the charge from the Government. For several weeks now, the military has been charging the LTTE with using civilians as human shield to protect its last bastion in the east.

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