PM favours solution to Tamils issue within united Sri Lanka

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today favoured a solution to the problems of Tamils within the framework of a united and federal Sri Lanka, notwithstanding Tamil parties including ally DMK pitching for a separate Eelam.    

"There can be no military solution to the problems of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The legitimate aspirations of the Tamil-speaking minority must be fulfilled within the framework of a united and federal Sri Lanka through a negotiated and peaceful settlement," he said in a statement circulated at a press conference here.    

The statement assumes significance in the backdrop of AIADMK and its allies demanding separate Eelam as a solution for the problems of Tamils. Even DMK had joined the bandwagon in demanding a separate Eelam.