National security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and foreign secretary Nirupama Rao will be travelling to Sri Lanka to review bilateral ties and the progress in rehabilitation of displaced Tamil civilians there on Friday.
Ahead of his visit, Menon called on Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in Chennai and is understood to have apprised her on the Centre's action on mitigating sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The visit comes in the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu assembly passing an unanimous resolution on Wednesday demanding imposition of economic sanctions against Sri Lanka.
During their visit, Menon and Rao are expected to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa, defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, and President's secretary Lalith Weeratunga, sources said, adding that the aim of the Indian officials' visit is to review the bilateral relations.
Though officials in Chennai described as a "courtesy call" the meeting between NSA and Jayalalithaa, Menon is understood to have apprised her on the Centre's action on mitigating sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The chief minister is understood to have taken up the issue of Indian fishermen being killed or arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister is understood to have taken up the issue of Indian fishermen being killed or arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting assumes significance in the wake of the Tamil Nadu assembly passing a resolution demanding that New Delhi should impose economic sanctions on Sri Lanka for its alleged killing of Tamils there. This is the first top level contact between the Centre and AIADMK government after Jayalalithaa took over as the chief minister.
The resolution also referred to UN committee findings about alleged excesses committed during the conflict between the armed forces and LTTE, including bombing civilian areas and hospitals.