NSA, Foreign Secy in Lanka; press for end to hostilities

India on Friday pressed for an immediate end to hostilities in Sri Lanka as its two special envoys met President Mahinda Rajapaksa and conveyed its concerns over the conflict, amidst worries over its political fallout in Tamil Nadu.

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who rushed to Colombo on the directions of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, conveyed India's concerns over the prevailing situation and expressed hopes of a "positive outcome".

Narayanan and Menon were with Rajapaksa for about 90 minutes during which they discussed issues related to the conflict between advancing Sri Lankan army and LTTE in the island nation's north, entrapping thousands of ethnic Tamil civilians.

"We conveyed concerns of Government of India on evolving situation in northern Sri Lanka especially of the casualties caused among Tamil civilians as a result of the ongoing operation," Narayanan said in a statement which he read out on his return to Delhi along with Menon.

India's demands to be examined

Sri Lanka on Friday said it would examine the matter of handing over of LTTE supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran to India if he is captured alive.

"These are matters, we will examine it. The request has come up annually by India since (former prime minister) Rajiv Gandhi's killing," Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollama said adding, "We only have to hope between India and Sri Lanka that not one more Prabhakaran is created".

Asserting that the Tamil Tigers have been decisively defeated, Bogollama told a private news channel that "our only concern now is to see that the civilians come out of the no-fire zone safely".

"The fact that a terrorist organisation has taken shelter in a no-fire zone shows that they are no longer a threat in terms of fighting," he said.

"What we are now concerned about is bringing over the civilians. It has registered that they (the LTTE) are decisively defeated," the Minister said.

To a question, he said the Sri Lankan government was taking up carefully all the matters concerning the living condition of Tamil refugees.

Bogollama denied allegations of not letting international agencies into the war zone and said the government was working with all such organisations to ensure the well-being of the civilians.