Sharad Pawar, Indian Minister for Agriculture and political veteran, has urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to offer a devolution package which will satisfy the political “moderates” in Sri Lanka. In his meeting with Rajapaksa here earlier this week, Pawar emphasised the need to find a political rather than a military solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, and urged the President to fashion a devolution package that would satisfy at least the moderates among the Tamils and Sinhalas, reliable sources told the Hindustan Times on Saturday. Pawar had met the Tamil moderates V .Anandasangaree and Douglas Devananda, and the Sinhala moderate prof. Tissa Vitharana.The Indian Agriculture Minister held talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Maithripala Sirisena, on the issue of India-Sri Lanka cooperation in agricultural development.
Hindustan Times (New Delhi, 27 May, 2007)
