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Basil tightlipped on Indian conditions
In his first remarks since returning from New Delhi, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa pointedly refused to say whether the Indian Government insists on Sri Lanka consulting it before changing the 13th Amendment. He maintained, instead, that some things must necessarily remain secret — as they would be between “husband and wife”. He said that was how problems were sorted out.
The Minister was asked by the Sunday Times if the Government had abandoned its urgent bill envisaging changes to the 13th Amendment, notably the removal of police and land powers from the provinces. He replied: “When we bring a bill like that, we don’t let go of it so easily without informing the public. There are times when we have brought that type of thing and retracted but we won’t give it up.”
“We hold the common position that it must be broadly discussed by the public,” he said. “The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) is a good forum for this.” Minister Rajapaksa, who was in India on July 4 and 5, was addressing journalists after a function in Colombo.
V. Narayanaswamy, Minister of State in the Indian Prime Minister’s office, said in an interview with BBC on Friday that Sri Lanka must renegotiate with India if it wished to change anything related to the Indo-Lanka Accord which set up Provincial Councils here.
Mr. Narayanaswamy said it was an international accord. “When it is signed between two sovereign governments, both governments are bound to implement the agreement,” he observed. “If there is a change of mind in one government, it should renegotiate with the other government. One government cannot unilaterally cancel the agreement.”
Minister Rajapaksa said he saw the media reports but would not elaborate. “Some things can be said openly and some things cannot be said openly in diplomatic business between governments,” he explained. “They gave us some of their views, we expressed our views.”
“That is what usually happens,” he added. “Not only between countries but there must be that sort of exchange of views even in a family, between husband and wife. Then a lot of problems will be sorted out. This was like that.”
The Minister said the Indian Government was agreeable to the establishment of the PSC. “They accepted it,” he noted. “Democracy is the best way and India is of the opinion that all parties that respect democracy must participate in it (PSC), including the Tamil National Alliance. They told us that they notified the TNA several times of this and that they will do so even in future.”
The two governments did not reach any agreements during his visit, Minister Rajapaksa said. “I didn’t have the authority to reach agreements,” he explained. “It was an exchange of information between the two countries. They told us their opinions, we told them our opinions. This was a discussion between two friendly countries.”
Minister Rajapaksa commented that India had also sacrificed lives during the course of the Sri Lankan conflict. “The holding of the (NPC) election is a big victory in democratization,” he said. “We first had an armed conflict and then transformed the area into a place devoid of weapons. India also made efforts from the start and sacrificed lives.”
“Then we developed that area,” he continued. “The next main step is democratisation. It is for this reason that the President issued an order to the Elections Commissioner to conduct the elections.” Where “other problems” were concerned, the Mahinda Chinthana had pledged to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to study them and to suggest a solution, he said.
The President would “bow his head” to any proposal they produce if it had majority public acceptance, “even if it was against his personal views,” Minister Rajapaksa said. “This is the message we gave (India). India offered strong support in these matters at all levels. We thanked them for the support and the friendship.”
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