Menon calls for elections to the Northern PC

By Our Political Editor

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It was past midnight signalling the dawn of Friday when the voice on the radio crackled. “Good morning Colombo Airways. This is Bravo Juliet 135,” said the Indian Air Force pilot from the cockpit of a Brazilian-built Embraer 135 jet. The radio contact with the incoming aircraft from New Delhi was handed over to Colombo Radar and thereafter to Air Traffic Controllers at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Later, ground controllers took over to park the jet on the apron. Some distance away a fleet of vehicles including armed escorts were on standby for a quick drive to Colombo.

Alighting from the aircraft was Shiv Shankar Menon, India’s National Security Advisor, an official who holds cabinet rank and plays a strategic role in day-to-day affairs of the Congress-led government in New Delhi. Indian High Commissioner Ashok Kantha and officials of the protocol division of the Ministry of External Affairs shook hands with the visitor. Immediately thereafter, he was whisked away to the Taj Samudra Hotel overlooking the Galle Face Green. Hours later, as the Sun’s rays enveloped Colombo, Menon, a former envoy to Sri Lanka and one time Foreign Secretary, embarked on a chapter that is easily one of the most critical phases in Indo-Sri Lanka relations.

As exclusively revealed in The Sunday Times last week, Menon’s mission was to convey to the government in “the strongest terms” New Delhi’s concerns over a string of important issues. His meetings in Colombo originally listed for one-on-one dialogues with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa were to later extend to at least two others — talks with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and a briefing to Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Front (TNA).

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