Lanka to finalise devolution package before Manmohan's visit

Pressed by India, Sri Lanka is likely to finalise a "power devolution" package to end the 25-year-old ethnic conflict before the planned visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the island nation in February, a media report said here on Sunday.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to announce the full implementation of the provisions on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution shortly," the 'Nation' Newspaper said in its front page story.

The 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution gave effect to the devolution provisions of the controversial Indo-Lanka Accord, signed in July 1987.

Highly placed sources told The Nation that the President is poised to do this before the scheduled visit of Singh to Sri Lanka as the chief guest on the country's 60th anniversary celebrations on February 4 next year.An invitation has already been extended to the Indian Prime Minister in this connection.

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