We’ll regard Singh’s remarks as most important: Lanka

New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Sri Lanka to settle the ethnic issue through dialogue, Colombo on Thursday made it clear that it would keep in mind his observations while dealing with the situation.
"It will be presumptuous for me to comment on the Prime Minister's statement. I have read about the statement in the media. What I can say is that whatever the Prime Minister has said it will be regarded as most important by Sri Lanka," High Commissioner C R Jayasinghe told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
"This is in the spirit of the warm and friendly relations between India and Sri Lanka," he said.
Jayasinghe comments came when he was asked to react to Singh's statement on Wednesday that the situation in the island nation is a cause for "serious concern" and asked Colombo to find a negotiated settlement rather than looking for a "military victory".
Singh had also underlined that the human rights of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka must be respected.
Jayasinghe said “India is very dear” to the people of Sri Lanka. He rejected any notion of relationship between the two neighbours coming under a strain.