'Clinton, Jayalalithaa WILL discuss Sri Lanka'

Last updated on: July 18, 2011 11:47 IST

Senior Indian officials have claimed that United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first ever trip to Chennai will be a strictly non-governmental visit with no discussion on Sri Lanka.
But a senior official in the Barack Obama administration, who will accompany Clinton, has said that Sri Lanka would definitely figure in the discussions between the secretary of state and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa when they meet for the first time.

In an exclusive interview with rediff.com, the Obama administration's point man for South Asia Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake, an erstwhile US Ambassador to Sri Lanka from 2006 to 2009, said, "Obviously, the 60 million people who live in Tamil Nadu have a lot of concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka," and that he was sure that this will "be a section of the discussion when the secretary meets the chief minister".
Earlier, senior Indian embassy officials, while briefing journalists in Washington on the upcoming US-India Strategic Dialogue and Clinton's maiden visit to Chennai, said, she would not discuss any foreign policy issues, specifically Sri Lanka, during her visit to Chennai.
Sri Lanka is under tremendous US pressure to allow for an investigation led by the United States in alleged war crimes during the final months of the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Reportage: Aziz Haniffa in Washington, DC

'Sri Lanka issue will come up'

Last updated on: July 18, 2011 11:47 IST

And will the Sri Lanka issue come up?
I am sure it will come up. Obviously the 60 million people who live in Tamil Nadu have a lot of concerns about the situation inside Sri Lanka. So, I'm sure that this will be a section of discussion when the Secretary meets the chief minister.

And, is the US and India on the same page on Sri Lanka? You guys have not minced any words recently about Sri Lanka not investigating the alleged war crimes as laid down by the UN. And you have also told me that India and the US have been on the same page in terms of repatriation of refugees and that you work closely with India in terms of Sri Lanka. Are you guys on the same page on this issue where you'll have minced no words?
We are very much on the same page. We both feel that more needs to be done to encourage reconciliation and more needs to be done on things like devolution of power, the election of a new provincial council in the North and some of these important accountability issues. So, yes, we are on the same page. We talk about these things frequently, and I don't see any significant daylight between the United States and India on this.

Obama administration has slammed the Lankan government

Last updated on: July 18, 2011 11:47 IST

The officials said the visit to Chennai would be "strictly non-governmental" where Clinton would meet with leaders of civil society and policy wonks on development issues, mainly from nongovernmental organisations, and also meet representatives of leading American companies that are situated in this manufacturing hub.

"All of the discussions in foreign policy will be in Delhi where we will discuss the neighbourhood as a whole when the Foreign Minister (S M Krishna) meets with her," the officials had noted.

These officials also dismissed any suggestion that the influential pro-Tamil lobby or the pro-Eelam lobby in the United States may have convinced Clinton to visit Chennai and bring up the Sri Lanka issue.

In recent weeks, the Obama administration has minced no words in slamming the Sri Lankan government for not moving ahead with its commitment to investigate the alleged war crimes.