'India must work for lasting solution in Sri Lanka'

India should step up diplomatic efforts to ensure “a lasting political solution” based on Tamil demands for autonomy within a united Sri Lanka, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said today.

India should step up diplomatic efforts to ensure “a lasting political solution” based on Tamil demands for autonomy within a united Sri Lanka, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said on Saturday.

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After discussing the military offensive in Sri Lanka's north at its Central Committee meeting in Kochi Jan 8-10, the party said the Mahinda Rajapaksa government should not deny a political solution to the Tamil problem.

“The armed forces have captured the LTTE's (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) de facto capital Kilinochchi. The Rajapaksa government should not use the military reverses of the LTTE as the pretext to delay or deny a political solution to the Tamil problem.

“The government of India should step up its diplomatic efforts to see that there is a lasting political solution based on autonomy for the Tamil areas within a united Sri Lanka.”

It added that the latest fighting in Sri Lanka had led to more civilians being displaced from their homes.

“More efforts are needed by the UN and other international agencies to ensure the safety of the c