§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Commonwealth Governments with regard to the Sri Lankan Government's concern about an invasion of their island by India; whether he plans to take any action in this regard; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. WhitneyNone. We regret the incidents of violence which have occurred in Sri Lanka both as a result of terrorist action and in rioting last July and have expressed to the Sri Lankan Government our hope that the inter-communal problems can be solved peacefully. We welcome the all party conference in Colombo, which has been meeting to resolve these problems. As I said in the House on 22 December, at column 639–42, we appreciate the helpful role played by the Indian Government in this context. We hope that progress can be made towards a settlement acceptable to all sides and will continue to give our support to a policy of reconciliation between the communities in Sri Lanka.