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Some comments on the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord

"... The agreement about the future of the Tamils was thus reached by Delhi and Colombo, the parties actually affected (Tamils) being merely informed of the fait accompli, and directed to say amen…"

"… It looks as if Rajiv Gandhi's only clause in the accord is surrender of arms (by Tamils). Lankan perfidy is beyond his ken or courage…"

- Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer

"... the Indian Prime Minister did not receive the right advise from those who counseled him"

- Prof. A. J. Wilson

"In the two or three years when I dealt with the affairs of the foreign office in Delhi, there was not a single instance where the Sri Lankan side had not gone back (on their word) after giving certain assurances... It was a regular feature, and it really puzzles me and strains my credulity as to how anybody could take this gentleman's (JR Jayawardene) word at its face value."

- A.P. Venkateswaran

"In what way are these provisions (exchange of letters) connected with the 'imperative need to resolve the ethnic problem' between the Tamil people and the Sinhala people?... In what way was the resolution of that conflict helped by India exercising control over the use of Trincomalee? Again, in what way was the resolution of the conflict between the Sinhala people and the Tamil people helped by India securing that foreign broadcasting facilities were not used for military and intelligence purposes?"

- Nadesan Satyendra

"Whilst the Friendship Treaty appears to be a permanent and durable solution to re-establish the traditional relations between India and Sri Lanka, India continues to refuse to recognise the political reality of Tamil nationalism, and remains unwilling to lend its powerful support to secure a constitutional structure in Sri Lanka which recognises the political forces of Tamil nationalism and Tamil interests.."

- Helena J Whall (1995)

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