Indo Lanka Accord must be respected: Khurshid

Friday, 10 January 2014 00:01 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has warned that the Indo-Lanka Agreement signed during the tenure of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi must be respected, a media report said yesterday. In an interview with the Khabar South Asia news agency, Khurshid said that the Agreement had come about as a result of a request by the Government in Colombo. Asked if the Minister had conveyed his concerns about Tamil representation in Government during a recent visit to Sri Lanka, Khurshid said the Indo-Lanka Accord that established the 13th Amendment to the Constitution should be respected. “The Sri Lankan Government sought our help, and, in response to that, we were promised that there would be devolution of power from the centre to states - like it is in India. Sri Lanka is a sovereign state. It is for them to decide about their country. We were assured that the 13th Amendment would give Sri Lankans, Tamils and other ethnicities the right to live with dignity and honour,” the Minister said.

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