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India on Friday stuck to its demand for the extradition of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief V Prabhakaran and extended full support to the peace process going on between the Sri Lankan government and the Tigers.
Visiting External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said after meeting Sri Lankan leaders that there was no contradiction between backing the peace process and persisting with the demand for the extradition of Prabhakaran.
"There is no contradiction. We have our laws to observe and there's a peace process here," he said.
The LTTE chief is wanted in India in connection with the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando apprised Sinha of the developments in the peace efforts and explained the reasons for the delay in commencing direct peace talks with the LTTE.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga also emphasised the importance of early negotiations when Sinha called on her.
Sinha said there was no reason to be disappointed, as there were obvious difficulties in pursuing peace.
"It appears that despite difficulties the [ceasefire] agreement is by and large in operation. The talks have not started yet, but it is up to the parties and Norway [which is trying to broker peace between the two parties] to ensure that talks are possible," Sinha said.
Sinha acknowledged that India was aware of accusations that the LTTE was violating human rights in the north and east.
Noting that international monitors were observing the situation, he said it was up to the Sri Lankan government to take up such issues. Even the apprehension that a "de facto Tamil Eelam" had already come up in the island's northeast was something to be taken up by Sri Lanka.
"As far as we are concerned, it is a matter to be negotiated between the two sides. We want them to first talk about an interim arrangement, and secondly about devolution issues," he said.
Sinha reaffirmed India's commitment to Sri Lanka's unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty, but parried a question on whether the direction of the present peace process was in tune with this objective.
"We want Sri Lanka's unity and integrity to be fully preserved. Within this framework, there should be talks and solutions found," he said.
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