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Remarks by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India in Parliament on 6 March 2013

In his reply in the Lok Sabha on 6 March 2013 during the debate on Hon´ble President´s Address, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, inter-alia, made the following remarks:

Madam Speaker, I rise to join all Members of this august House in conveying our sincere thanks to Hon. President for his enlightened Address. The debate on the President's Address has been vigorous and wide ranging. I thank all the Hon. Members who have contributed to this debate...

Madam, Members have raised the issue of human rights violations during the conflict in Sri Lanka and the lack of progress on reconciliation, accountability and political devolution in Sri Lanka. The Government takes the sentiments expressed by Members very seriously. We are firmly of the view that issues of reconciliation and political devolution in Sri Lanka need to be addressed with a sense of urgency.

We have consistently called upon the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its public commitments for the implementation of the 13th Amendment and for building further on it so as to achieve a meaningful political settlement. We have also urged that elections to the Northern Provincial Council be held at the earliest and have called for effective and time-bound implementation of the constructive recommendations contained in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report. This was also the message, Madam, I conveyed to President Rajapaksa during his visit to India in September 2012. We will continue to remain engaged with the Government of Sri Lanka to implement these steps and take forward the process of reconciliation and settlement.

As regards the issue of a draft resolution expected to be Tabled by the United States at the forthcoming Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, our decision will depend on the substance of the final text Tabled in the Council. We will, however, be guided by our consistent position that we support proposals that seek to advance the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self respect.

I wish to assure the House that our Government will remain engaged with the Government of Sri Lanka to promote a durable settlement of the Tamil problem that enables the Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka to lead a life of dignity and self-respect with equal rights. I also assure the Members that we will remain engaged with the Government of Sri Lanka with regard to the welfare, safety and security of our fishermen to ensure that fishermen on both sides can continue to pursue their livelihood in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.

(Full text of Hon. Prime Minister´s reply in the Lok Sabha on the debate on the Hon. President´s Address can be seen at http://pmindia.gov.in/getdoc.php?id=RGEQCA12902H.pdf).