The Hindu : Front Page : We cannot interfere, says Anand Sharma

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

We cannot interfere, says Anand Sharma

HYDERABAD: “We cannot be interventionist, we can only speak,” Union Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said regarding the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka.

‘Only counsel’

Responding to queries at a press conference here on Saturday, he said though the country had no direct involvement in the “immediate neighbour’s affairs,” it was firm that the rights of the Tamils in Sri Lanka should be protected. The violent reaction in Tamil Nadu to the ongoing crisis was unfortunate, but “we can only counsel and not interfere. It is another country.”

The government had been consistent and clear that a negotiated settlement should be evolved for which devolution of powers to Tamils was needed. At the same time, the country was firm that the LTTE was a terrorist organisation and it did not represent the Tamils of Sri Lanka.

On Pakistan, he said the UPA government kept channels of diplomacy as well as people’s interaction open with Pakistan.

However, when there was continuity or sudden aggression in the form of terror, there was no channel that would work.

“We cannot say ‘back to business as normal’ in such event,” he said.

There was need for the basic element, trust, to be restored by Pakistan and it should take “effective action” like dismantling of terror infrastructure and bringing the perpetrator to justice.

These forces irrespective of their name tag form part of the same syndicate and they need to be neutralised.

“It is a huge mistake to make any distinction between such forces. There cannot be a brutal Taliban and a benign one,” he said.

Troops encircling last LTTE town: Army

Child soldiers in peril: UNICEF

“Prabakaran still holed up in Wanni”

LTTE fired at bus, says Colombo

35,000 have moved to safer areas: Colombo

Sri Lanka issue echoes in Parliament

Safety zone in LTTE-held area

Red Cross reveals another hospital shelling

28 killed in Sri Lanka blast

Colombo’s plea to global agencies