Word: gandhis
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...Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi emerged from the President's House in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo last week, he had reason to smile. The previous day the Prime Minister had signed an agreement with Sri Lankan President Junius R. Jayewardene that promised to end a brutal civil war. But as Gandhi passed the white-uniformed men of a Sri Lankan naval honor guard, one of the sailors broke ranks and swung at Gandhi with the butt of his rifle. The Prime Minister caught a glancing blow in the back and stumbled. Guards quickly hustled Gandhi away and hauled...
...turned out, Rajiv Gandhi was not injured. Nonetheless, the attack was a painful reminder to the Prime Minister of how much strife and distrust had been aroused by the pact he had just initialed -- and how uncertain were its chances of success. For four years Sri Lanka, a teardrop of an island off India's southern coast, has been plagued by a vicious battle that has claimed more than 6,000 lives. Pitting the Sinhalese majority against the minority Tamils, the conflict has not only imperiled Jayewardene's government but threatened to drag New Delhi further into a war that...
...agreement was worked out during three weeks of secret talks between New Delhi and Colombo. Its centerpiece was Jayewardene's concession of local rule in two provinces heavily populated by Tamils, who make up one-eighth of the country's 16 million people. In exchange Gandhi, whose country is home to about 50 million Tamils and who has provided refuge and arms to Tamil insurgents fighting the Colombo government, promised to ensure that the rebels would lay down their arms...
...controversy it has aroused, the accord offers benefits to both countries -- if it holds up. For Sri Lanka, peace would bring stability and a return to more prosperous times. For India, success would promote the country's coveted image as a regional superpower and repair Gandhi's battered reputation. Said U.S. State Department Spokesman Charles Redman: "We applaud the statesmanlike efforts and perseverance of these courageous leaders in achieving this accord...
...charge has a particular sting for Gandhi, who took direct responsibility for Punjab on May 11, after dismissing the moderate Sikh government there because of its failure to maintain order. Despite last week's events, however, the Prime Minister says he is still reluctant to use military force to curb terrorism in Punjab...