India calls for peace in Sri Lanka

Ahead of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's visit to New Delhi, India on Friday night asked both the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Tigers Eelam rebels to maintain the ceasefire and return to the negotiating table to settle the ethnic problem.

"We are constantly watching the developments in Sri Lanka," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a function where he released a book 'Indian Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities.'

He said India's position was that Sri Lanka's ethnic issue should be settled peacefully.

"The ceasefire should continue and both sides should come to the negotiating table to resolve the problem," the minister said.

Rajapakse, who will arrive in New Delhi on Saturday on a five-day India visit, will discuss the peace process in his country with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Ahead of his visit in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon travelled to Colombo on Thursday and conveyed to Rajapakse India's concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in LTTE-controlled Jaffna as food items are unable to reach there.