Sethu project: Sri Lanka wants experts to meet

Sri Lanka has sought an expert-level meeting on the Sethusamudram project in mid-July and asked for sharing of all relevant details, includi...

Sri Lanka has sought an expert-level meeting on the Sethusamudram project in mid-July and asked for sharing of all relevant details, including the post-tsunami impact report. Colombo’s decision comes after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assurances that India will take into account Lanka’s concerns regarding the project.

South Block officials downplayed the concerns in India over Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar’s statement in the Lankan Parliament today. The Minister had stated that Lanka was not ruling out the possibility of taking India to the international court.

Instead, the officials felt the remarks were encouraging, as the minister had also praised Singh’s approach to the issue and expressed faith in the deliberations between both countries. They pointed out that the technical experts will meet later this month specifically to address Colombo’s concerns. It is understood that Sri Lanka has sent a list of reports which it wants India to share at the meeting.

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Though Colombo is keen on holding a meeting on July 11-12, sources said, it may be shifted by a week.

A joint communique of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Commission last month had stated that the next meeting of experts will be in July.

Kadirgamar also mentioned that the Sri Lankan government had proposed to set up a committee to study and monitor all aspects of the project.