Indian envoy to Geneva called for consultations on SL

India on Monday asked its envoy in Geneva to return for consultations on the US resolution on Sri Lanka, the IANS reported.

Dilip Sinha, ambassador and permanent representative of India to the UN in Geneva, will be in New Delhi on Tuesday to brief the government on the resolution, external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

The issue has gained urgency with political parties and activists in Tamil Nadu urging the government to back the resolution — like last year — and even amend it to denounce Colombo for the "genocide" of Tamils.

The resolution is expected to come up for voting at the 47-member UNHRC session in Geneva March 21.

The foreign ministry spokesman said the resolution "in the final form will be available late this evening, Geneva time".

"We will have consultations on the matter, and he (Indian envoy to Geneva) will be able to brief senior officials on the ground level realities in Geneva and the latest position," he added.

Asked what position India was likely to take on the resolution, the spokesperson said a call would be taken after the final text was available and the arrival of the ambassador from Geneva.

Asked if New Delhi favoured the word "genocide", he said the government would "cross the bridge when we come to it".

With the DMK, which has 18 MPs, threatening to end its support to the United Progressive Alliance if India remained soft vis-a-vis Sri Lanka, the government sent three senior ministers to Chennai to meet Karunanidhi.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath said home minister P Chidambaram, defence minister AK Antony and health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad met Karunanidhi in Chennai.

A decision on the Sri Lanka resolution will be taken after that, he said.

Karunanidhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday saying Colombo should be specifically blamed for the "genocide" of Tamils during the war against the Tamil Tigers.