US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today asked Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to start an all inclusive political reconciliation process including all ethnic minorities and provide aid workers access to the war-battered north of the island.
Clinton, who telephoned the Sri Lankan President, asked him to give top priority to allow international access for humanitarian assistance to the hundreds and thousands of people who have been uprooted because of the war between LTTE and the Lankan Army.
This was the first telephone call made by Clinton to Rajapaksa after the defeat of the LTTE and the elimination of its top leadership including Tiger supremo V Prabhakaran.
During the call, Clinton asked Rajapaksa to use this as an opportunity to come out with an all inclusive political reconciliation process, in the absence of which the resentment among the ethnic Tamil population would continue to be there, a State Department official said.
Clinton also called up UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is now headed towards Sri Lanka, to discuss with him the current humanitarian situation there.
"The Secretary spoke to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday about his upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, and offered full US cooperation to the UN and international efforts to address the humanitarian needs of the Sri Lankan people," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.