Govt working to end Lankan conflict, says Pallam Raju(Minister of State for Defence-India)

With political parties in Tamil Nadu mounting pressure on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, the government today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was making "best efforts" to ensure an end to the crisis and for a proper settlement of the ethnic problem.
"We are conscious that we as a nation have to try and reduce the conflict and negotiate a proper settlement for Tamils living in Sri Lanka. Towards this end, the government and the Prime Minister are making their best efforts," Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju told reporters here.

"The government and the country are very clear about the manner in which we should be involved in Sri Lanka," he said when asked about the issue on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers.

To a question on India's supply of defence equipment to Sri Lanka, Raju said it was purely for "self defence" of that country.

Raju said the government was concentrating its efforts on safeguarding human rights of Tamils in that country.

"The entire effort of the government has been to minimise the conflict and to safeguard human rights of Tamils living there and we are working towards that end," Raju said.

In an apparent reference to fears of Pakistan and China gaining influence in Sri Lanka, Raju said the government was taking every step to guard its interests in the Indian Ocean Region.

"We are clear that we should be the only nation who should be present in this region and we are guarding our interests in the Indian Ocean Region, " Raju said.

Source: PTI