Sri Lanka’s former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera has said that the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government was “fooling India” and it would be “day dreaming” to expect that “success of the military campaign against the LTTE would lead to devolution of powers and a political solution” to the Tamil crisis.

Samaraweera, who was Rajapaksa’s chief diplomat till 2007, told The Indian Express that the President had fooled the Indian leadership in 2006 and warned New Delhi to act with caution and refrain from giving unconditional support to Rajapaksa.

“Rajapaksa had told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Hawaii that Sri Lanka was coming up with a proposal to extend devolution of powers to the north and east. The Government of India was particular that the north and east provinces remain amalgamated,” Samaraweera said. “In 2006, Rajapaksa and I attended Mani Shankar Aiyer’s son’s wedding... Dr Rohan Perera, who was the legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also with us. He represented the committee of experts entrusted to frame a draft on the devolution of powers.”

Samaraweera said they had a meeting with Prime Minister Singh and made a presentation of the draft report. “Dr Singh was really impressed. The President made an assurance that it will be implemented. But as soon as we got back home, the report was leaked to the media, which triggered a massive hue and cry. I have sufficient proof that the President’s office leaked it as part of a premeditated plan to create a controversy. Then on the instance of Buddhist Sinhala chauvinist parties JHU and JVP he (Rajapakasha) disbanded the committee of experts and distanced himself from it. Both these parties are part of his Government”.

... contd.