COLOMBO: India called again Friday for talks between Sri Lanka's government and the country's ethnic Tamils following the defeat of a rebel group that wanted to carve out a separate state for the minority community. Sri Lanka's troops last year crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels, ending a war that killed between 80,000 to 100,000 people. During the war, President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised to consider giving Tamil areas more autonomy - a long-standing demand of moderate minority politicians - but he has yet to present a proposal. Now that the fighting has ended, India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said a political settlement must be reached. India has long urged Sri Lanka to devolve power to the Tamil-majority provinces. “It is our hope that a structured dialogue mechanism to work toward this end will be launched soon,” Krishna, who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, told reporters. Krishna said that Sri Lanka's relationship with India is not at risk over expanding ties with China or other nations. “The relationship between India and Sri Lanka need not be at the cost of other countries,” Krishna told reporters. “Our ultimate objective is hoping to see a prosperous, stable Sri Lanka at peace with itself.” In August, Krishna told India's parliament that China was “showing more than normal interest in Indian Ocean affairs”. India also agreed to loan $416 million to Sri Lanka for building railroads to the country's former war zone and promised to help build 50,000 houses for those displaced by the conflict.
