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India's multi-party delegation is to continue goodwill visit to Sri Lanka despite the boycott announced by Tamil Nadu representatives, a spokesman said on Thursday.
Sarath Dissanayake, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said the delegation comprising members from multi-parties is to visit Sri Lanka on April 16 as scheduled.
"This is a goodwill visit meant to promote bilateral relationship between the two countries," Dissanayake said.
The delegation of parliament members is to visit the island nation from April 16 to 21 to assess the resettlement and political process in war-torn areas.
"The delegation will visit former war-ravaged northern areas and also will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa," the spokesman said.
On Thursday, the Chief Minister of south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaram announced representative of her party would not join the delegation to Sri Lanka.
In a statement she complained the itinerary in Sri Lanka provided no opportunity to interact with the Tamils. "The itinerary looks as if the tour itself is a formality and that the agenda has been chalked out by the Sri Lankan government to create a favorable impression for itself. This view is strengthened by the absence of journalists, human rights activists and independent observers in the delegation," Jayalalitha said.
The visit by the delegation comes close on the heels of India voting against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last month. |
