SL High Commissioner to meet with Jaya?

Encouraged by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s assessmentthat Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was ?fully conscious? of therealities of managing the India-Sri Lanka relationship, Colombo is learnt tohave asked its envoy to engage with the Tamil Nadu government.

 

Moves are afoot, sources said, to schedule a meeting betweenSri Lankan High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam and Jayalalithaa in the comingweeks.

 

The Sri Lankan envoy returned from Colombo on Tuesday andofficials familiar with the developments said this ?reaching out? was aconscious decision taken by the Sri Lankan government.

 

Sri Lanka is quite enthused at the PM?s assessment of theTamil Nadu CM. He had told editors at last week?s interaction, ?I have had goodcooperation with Jayalalithaaji. I raised this matter with her the very firsttime. Whatever be the resolutions that were passed in the Assembly, I found herfully conscious of the complexities and the realities of managing thisrelationship.?

 

Officials said the engagement with the new CM had begun soonafter her landslide victory in the Assembly polls in May. Lankan ForeignMinister G L Peiris wrote a ?congratulatory letter? to Jayalalithaa, wishingher welland indicating Colombo?s intention to ?work with her?. (IE)