New Delhi:
A grand welcome in Rashtrapati Bhawan's forecourt for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who's on his first visit to India, since his re-election in January this year.
"My visit will help the bilateral relationship to get more strengthened. So, because we are the closest, Sri Lanka's closest neighbour is India," said the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The visit also coincides with the first anniversary of Sri Lanka's victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that marked the end of over two decades of bloody civil war.
And the issue of a long lasting political settlement and the rehabilitation of internally displaced people dominated the talks with Dr Manmohan Singh. Officially, about 54,000 people who fled the final battle last year are still living in transit camps.
Tamil Nadu's political parties have been pushing Delhi to leverage its weight with Colombo on the resettlement issue. And today, after his official meetings, a delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu also met the Sri Lankan President.
"We had a fruitful discussion with the President. We have requested him to settle those who are living in camps to their original living place as early as possible, before the onset of Monsoon. The President has accepted that there was a delay in settling this issue because of the elections. Have also said that there are only 54000 living in the camps," said senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader T R Balu.
President Rajapaksa is also believed to have told the delegation that the delay is because of a demining process that's still on and said his recent meeting with the Tamil National Alliance is a proof that he is committed to a long term settlement with Sri Lanka's Tamil population.
"My visit will help the bilateral relationship to get more strengthened. So, because we are the closest, Sri Lanka's closest neighbour is India," said the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The visit also coincides with the first anniversary of Sri Lanka's victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that marked the end of over two decades of bloody civil war.
And the issue of a long lasting political settlement and the rehabilitation of internally displaced people dominated the talks with Dr Manmohan Singh. Officially, about 54,000 people who fled the final battle last year are still living in transit camps.
Tamil Nadu's political parties have been pushing Delhi to leverage its weight with Colombo on the resettlement issue. And today, after his official meetings, a delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu also met the Sri Lankan President.
"We had a fruitful discussion with the President. We have requested him to settle those who are living in camps to their original living place as early as possible, before the onset of Monsoon. The President has accepted that there was a delay in settling this issue because of the elections. Have also said that there are only 54000 living in the camps," said senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader T R Balu.
President Rajapaksa is also believed to have told the delegation that the delay is because of a demining process that's still on and said his recent meeting with the Tamil National Alliance is a proof that he is committed to a long term settlement with Sri Lanka's Tamil population.
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