• JANUARY 17, 2012, 6:55 A.M. ET

  • Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — India asked Sri Lanka on Tuesday to work toward genuine ethnic reconciliation amid international criticism that the island nation is not addressing the root causes of its civil war, which ended more than two years ago.

Enlarge Image

ikrishna

Close

ikrishna

Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

India’s Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna, left, shook hands with his Sri Lankan counterpart Gamini Lakshman Peiris during their meeting in Colombo, January 17, 2012.

India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who is on a four-day visit, said “it’s our hope that the vision and leadership that resulted in an end to the armed conflict will now be employed in the quest for a genuine political reconciliation.”

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in May 2009 after the government troops crushed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, who were fighting for a separate state for the ethnic minority Tamils. The conflict killed 80,000 to 100,000 people.

During the war, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised to consider giving Tamil areas more autonomy–a long-standing demand of moderate minority politicians–but he has yet to present a proposal.

Mr. Krishna said Sri Lanka has repeatedly given commitments to move forward with a plan to devolve some power to provinces, and that India hopes for an “expeditious and constructive approach” in the process.

New Delhi has been reluctant to get directly involved in Sri Lanka politics since a disastrous military intervention in 1987, and it is not offering to broker talks. But it has a keen interest in the dispute because southern India is home to 60 million Tamils.

Mr. Krishna says the Sri Lankan government’s continued talks with the Tamil National Alliance, the main political party representing the ethnic minority, could help “pave the way for a political settlement.”

Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit

www.djreprints.com