NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka emphasised the need for greater coordination in naval patrols in the Palk Strait when Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama met Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, on the sidelines of the SAARC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last evening.
The Minister said there was understanding of the Sri Lankan position by India, taking note of the comments expressed by the Indian Naval chief that the LTTE could be aiming at creating a rift in the relations between the two countries.
“I stressed that the coordinated patrols to be the only way forward,” the Minister told the Daily News following a ‘very fruitful meeting’ with his counterpart, at the Indian Leader’s South Block office.
Bogollagama echoed the increasing threat posed by the LTTE in the Palk Strait due to LTTE activities, as also pointed out by the Indian Naval Chief, at the meeting.
This was the third bi-lateral meeting between the two top ministers in less than two months.
The Minister also briefed the Indian leader on the LTTE air attack on the Air base at Katunayake, which was acknowledged as a threat not only to Sri Lanka, but also to the region as a whole.
The need to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces was also discussed and acknowledged the need for preventing such attacks.The need to strengthen regional cooperation in combating terrorism and enhanced cooperation in political and other areas were also discussed.
Asked if the internal conflicts of the member states would impede the collective deliberations, as predicted on certain media, the Minister responded in the negative saying their were no roots for these internal strife to make their way into the multilateral summit. “I think SAARC will have a very positive outcome,” he stressed.
The Minister held bi-lateral meetings with the Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed and the Chief Advisor for Foreign Affairs of the Bangladeshi caretaker government last morning.
Among the issues discussed with the Maldivian counterpart were enhancement of bi-lateral tourism and issues connected to sub-commission of fisheries, etc.
They also discussed the political and economic utility of forming a SAARC Parliament and proposal of having a single currency in the region.
In his meeting with the Bangladesh Chief advisor the need for greater connectivity in the air services were emphasised. Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona and Sri Lankan High Commissioner Romesh Jayasinghe were also present at the meetings.
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