India Monday urged Sri Lanka for the early return of Indian fishermen and also stressed on the need for Colombo to stand by its commitment not to dilute the 13th Amendment on devolution of powers to provinces.
This was emphasized during the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with visiting Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris here.
Peiris, who arrived here Sunday evening, handed over to the prime minister a letter of invitation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Summit to be held in Colombo Nov 15-17.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thanked him for the gesture, said official sources.
During talks on issues related to the Northern Provincial Council elections being held Sep 21, Prime Minister Singh said he was happy to note of the forthcoming elections.
He said the election "would promote the cause of reconciliation and he hoped that the elections would be free, fair and credible", said the official sources.
"Prof. Peiris responded that there was a vigorous election campaign underway. There were 350 candidates from nine political parties contesting. He assured that the elections would be conducted in a free and fair manner. He also mentioned that international observers from the Commonwealth and SAARC have been invited," the sources said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasized "on the need for expeditious return of Indian fishermen as has been the process followed by both sides in the recent past. He emphasized the need to treat this as a humanitarian issue".
The prime minister also stressed "on the need that Sri Lanka would stand by the commitment not to dilute the 13th Amendment and would take it forward".
Later the Sri Lankan foreign minister also met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
During discussions in the context of the need for early release of Indian fishermen, the issue of a possible meeting between the fishermen associations of India and Sri Lanka was also considered.
Both the ministers discussed various aspects of cooperation, especially economic cooperation. They also discussed the Sampur power project in Trincomalee district, NTPC's first overseas coal-fired power project.
Khurshid emphasized on the need for a sustained dialogue and underscored the need for "critical strategic gestures".
