India and Sri Lanka today signed seven agreements and discussed issues like devolution of powers to the provinces and begin negotiations with the Tamil community in the island nation.
During the delegation-level talks led by PM Manmohan Singh and visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the two sides also touched upon ensuring livelihood to the Sri Lankan Tamils and necessary steps to ensure speedy resettlement of those who were still in makeshift camps even a year after the Sri Lankan government’s war with the LTTE had ended.
Rajapaksa reassured Singh about his government’s plans to resettle refugees who continue to remain in camps. Sri Lanka claims that bulk of the displaced Tamils in its northern areas have been resettled, and of the remaining 50,000, half move in and out of the camps.
