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| Sunday, 31 October 2004 |
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Indo-Lanka Defence Agreement in November by Ranga Jayasuriya The Indo-Lanka Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) will be signed next month, hopefully, within next two or three weeks, a top defence official said. Defence Secretary Cyril Herath said the two parties had finalised the draft agreement aimed at a greater military cooperation in military training, exchange of military intelligence, maritime surveillance, joint military exercise, defence supplies and bilateral meetings at different levels of the security establishment. "Both parties have agreed on all the areas of the agreement. The draft is finalised," Herath told the Sunday Observer. "Hopefully, the agreement will be signed within next two or three weeks," he said. He said the draft agreement was now before the cabinet for its approval. Last week, a team of officials headed by Herath with three service commanders held talks with a five member Indian defence delegation led by Additional Secretary of the Indian Defence Ministry Ranjith Issar on the proposed Defence pact, which security analysts believe would be a cornerstone in the country's defence policy. The present UPFA government as well as the predecessor, the Wickremesinghe administration had fiercely been campaigning for an increased defence co-operation with India. The DCA will provide the security forces with easy access to Indian military hardware. Earlier, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri said Sri Lanka had ordered a second Indian Offshore Petrol Vessel (OPV) which will be purchased under the Indian Line of Credit. The order was placed during Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse's recent visit to India. The OPV carries a crew of 140 including 15 officers at a maximum speed of 21 knots. In 2000, India offered a Sukhanya Class helipad OPV to Sri Lanka in a deal worth 20 million US dollars. The OPV which was renamed SLNS Sayura made the SLN a blue water navy. Meanwhile, allaying fears among certain Tamil political groups, the mass circulation Indian national newspaper, The Hindu in an editorial last Tuesday commented that the Defence Cooperation Agreement was not meant to encourage the Sri Lankan government to go for a military solution to the Tamil question. "From available details of the draft, it is clear that the agreement will seek to regularise the existing cooperation between the defence establishments of the two countries, and will not in any way work against India's commitment to a peaceful political solution to the Sri Lankan conflict, it further said. "It is certainly not a bilateral defence treaty through which Sri Lanka can seek direct military assistance from its big neighbour," it said. Meanwhile, Indian Army's Chief of Staff General N. C. Vij will arrive in Colombo tomorrow, Nov. 1 for talks with Army Commander Lt.General Shantha Kottegoda on bilateral defence cooperation. He will also visit the Navy and Air Force headquarters and the Defence Ministry. |
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