Britain wants Indian PM to attend CHOGM; Reports say visit unlikely
November 9, 2013 10:55 am
Even as the Indian government remains undecided over whether to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka, British High Commissioner to India James Bevan has said that his country wants India to participate in the meeting as it is an important player in the Commonwealth.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, Bevan also conceded that British Prime Minister David Cameron will raise the issue of human right violations during his visit to the island nation.
Asked whether Britain at any point rethought the idea of holding CHOGM in Sri Lanka, he stated that the British government decided several months back that the Prime Minister will represent the country at the CHOGM for two reasons: “firstly we are strong believers in Commonwealth and want to show a support for it and secondly we do have concerns about those developments in Sri Lanka.”
“And we think that it is right for us to go and express the concerns directly to the Sri Lankan authorities and that is what our Prime Minister will do this time in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Bevan further said that India is a hugely important player in the Commonwealth and Britain very much value its participation in these meetings and that the decision is one that the Indian Prime Minister has to make.
“I am sure that David Cameron will very much welcome if Prime Minister Singh joins him in Sri Lanka but that is a matter for the Indian government,” he said.
However, Indian media reports claim that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to visit Colombo for the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting next week, bowing to pressure from Tamil Nadu politicians - including his own ministers - to boycott the event.
NDTV quoting sources said a government representative may go to Sri Lanka for the November 15 meet instead of the PM, a proposal that had been backed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who is a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu.
Friday morning, the Congress core group - which includes the PM, Sonia Gandhi and senior ministers - met to discuss whether Dr Singh should proceed with the visit.
Party leaders remained tight-lipped about any decision in that meeting, indicating a persisting dilemma for the government.
Besides Mr Chidambaram, two other union ministers from Tamil Nadu - Jayanthi Natarajan and GK Vasan - had opposed the Prime Minister’s visit to the island nation.
At a press conference this evening, the Congress was noncommittal. “National interest is above every other interest and the Prime Minister will take an appropriate decision,” said party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Sources say the government had explored the option of including Tamil-dominated Jaffna in the PM’s itinerary as a way of placating Tamils.
Sources say the option had been proposed by the foreign ministry, which felt India should continue engaging with Sri Lanka to push the Tamil cause.
Earlier today, DMK Chief Karunanidhi had said, “The PM has a conscience. It is enough if he acts according to his conscience.” He had earlier warned of “consequences” for the PM’s Congress party in Tamil Nadu, if he went to Sri Lanka.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, Bevan also conceded that British Prime Minister David Cameron will raise the issue of human right violations during his visit to the island nation.
Asked whether Britain at any point rethought the idea of holding CHOGM in Sri Lanka, he stated that the British government decided several months back that the Prime Minister will represent the country at the CHOGM for two reasons: “firstly we are strong believers in Commonwealth and want to show a support for it and secondly we do have concerns about those developments in Sri Lanka.”
“And we think that it is right for us to go and express the concerns directly to the Sri Lankan authorities and that is what our Prime Minister will do this time in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Bevan further said that India is a hugely important player in the Commonwealth and Britain very much value its participation in these meetings and that the decision is one that the Indian Prime Minister has to make.
“I am sure that David Cameron will very much welcome if Prime Minister Singh joins him in Sri Lanka but that is a matter for the Indian government,” he said.
However, Indian media reports claim that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is unlikely to visit Colombo for the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting next week, bowing to pressure from Tamil Nadu politicians - including his own ministers - to boycott the event.
NDTV quoting sources said a government representative may go to Sri Lanka for the November 15 meet instead of the PM, a proposal that had been backed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who is a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu.
Friday morning, the Congress core group - which includes the PM, Sonia Gandhi and senior ministers - met to discuss whether Dr Singh should proceed with the visit.
Party leaders remained tight-lipped about any decision in that meeting, indicating a persisting dilemma for the government.
Besides Mr Chidambaram, two other union ministers from Tamil Nadu - Jayanthi Natarajan and GK Vasan - had opposed the Prime Minister’s visit to the island nation.
At a press conference this evening, the Congress was noncommittal. “National interest is above every other interest and the Prime Minister will take an appropriate decision,” said party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Sources say the government had explored the option of including Tamil-dominated Jaffna in the PM’s itinerary as a way of placating Tamils.
Sources say the option had been proposed by the foreign ministry, which felt India should continue engaging with Sri Lanka to push the Tamil cause.
Earlier today, DMK Chief Karunanidhi had said, “The PM has a conscience. It is enough if he acts according to his conscience.” He had earlier warned of “consequences” for the PM’s Congress party in Tamil Nadu, if he went to Sri Lanka.
