Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has underlined the need to fully implement the India-backed 13th Amendment to the Constitution to grant political autonomy to the minority Tamils in the country.
Addressing an all-party meeting on Thursday, Wickremesinghe also said that if anyone opposed the full implementation of 13A, the Parliament must take steps to abolish the law.
The 13A provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13A which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.
Wickremesinghe, who took over as the president last year amidst the unprecedented economic crisis and political turmoil, said that as the head of the nation, it was his duty to implement the prevailing laws.
"As the president, I am duty bound to implement the prevailing law of the country," Wickremesinghe said.
Stating that the 13A would be fully implemented on the same basis as it was already a part of the country's Constitution, he said: "If not, parliament must take steps to abolish the 13A".
