Sri Lanka Asks India to Hasten Arms Deliveries
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
Sri Lanka has asked India to rush arms and equipment to the island nation to help its military fight Tamil Tiger guerrillas.
Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gothabaye Rajpakse arrived here on an unannounced visit May 28 with a shopping list that includes transportable radar, quick-reaction ground-to-air missiles and other equipment. Sri Lanka?s defense forces are facing a fresh attack from Tamil Tigers, sources in the Indian Defence Ministry said.
India is already selling weapons to Sri Lanka, including air defense radars and fast patrol vessels, although the New Delhi government does not publicly acknowledge these sales, which are a politically sensitive issue here.
The Indian Defence Ministry?s official spokesman, Sitanshu Kar, said May 30 that India so far has provided only training ? not equipment ? for Sri Lankan soldiers. Kar added that India from time to time also provides humanitarian aid to the island nation.
Rajpakse has held meetings with Indian Defence Ministry planners, including Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt, ministry sources said. |