Narayanan, Menon to visit Colombo today

(April 24, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Unhappy over continued killings of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka and worried about its fallout in Tamil Nadu, Union Government on Thursday decided to rush National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon to Colombo on Friday to press for immediate end to all hostilities.

The announcement to send Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Menon was made by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee after a meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, second in as many days, to review the situation in Sri Lanka's north where thousands of civilians are trapped in the conflict between the advancing Army and LTTE.

The meeting was also attended by Mr.Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Menon.

'The Government of India has been monitoring with deep concern and anxiety the evolving situation in Sri Lanka, in particular the condition of Tamil civilians in conflict zones,' Mr. Mukherjee said.

'We are very unhappy at the continued killings in Sri Lanka. All killings must stop. There must be an immediate cessation of all hostilities,' he said.

Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Menon, who are expected to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa, will convey India's concerns to the Sri Lankan government.
-Sri Lanka Guardian