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Indian Foreign Secretary calls on Tyronne : Future deals with LTTE will not affect India

Any future settlement or agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will not in anyway affect the interest of India, Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando assured visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal yesterday.

Fernando assured Sibal who called on him at his official residence, that Sri Lanka will continue to follow its Non-Aligned foreign policy, even during this crucial period, Foreign Ministry sources said.

Decisive matters relating to the forthcoming NAM Summit in Kuala Lampur, Fernando confirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to the Non-Aliganed Movement and its independent policies. He said Sri Lanka would not take any action that affects the interest of its neighbours, especially India. The Minister reminded the secretary that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and himself visited India just before beginning the peace process to get the blessings not only of the Indian government, but also of Opposition Leader Sonia Gandhi, sources said.

"Pandit Nehru who addressed us in Oxford when I was the President of the Asia Society said that if your enemy is extending his hand, please grab it. If it is a friendly hand you will get a friend. If it is with ulterior motives, still you got one of his hands immobilised. That is precisely what we did with Mr. Prabhakaran. We think we have got a friend. But that will not affect India's interest at all", the Minister said.

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