Sri Lanka should respect the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement with former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said. In an interview he adds that Sri Lanka is a sovereign state and that it is for them to decide about their country.
Excerpt of interview;
During your recent visit to Sri Lanka did you convey your concerns about Tamil representation in government? Is the India government ready to assist Sri Lanka to calm Sinhalese concerns about a northern Tamil political power base?
Khurshid: Our concern is that the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi should be respected. The Sri Lankan government sought our help, and, in response to that, we were promised that there would be devolution of power from the centre to states -- like it is in India.
Sri Lanka is a sovereign state. It is for them to decide about their country. We were assured that the 13th amendment would give Sri Lankans, Tamils and other ethnicities the right to live with dignity and honour.
