Gandhi Announces Accord to Pull Troops From Sri Lanka

NEW DELHI —  Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said Friday his government has reached preliminary agreement with Sri Lanka to withdraw 42,000 Indian soldiers sent to that island nation to end ethnic violence, the Press Trust of India reported.

The news agency quoted him as saying the agreement is subject to review and approval by Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa.

The accord was reached with Sri Lankan officials during this week’s meeting of nonaligned nations in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, the news agency said.

It quoted Gandhi as saying the accord is a “good agreement” covering all aspects of the Indian withdrawal from northeast Sri Lanka. Gandhi did not elaborate on what has been negotiated.

India has removed about 3,000 troops since June 29 following appeals by Premadasa. Gandhi initially rejected Premadasa’s demand for a rapid pullout, saying it would worsen the ethnic violence.

A clash was averted when India agreed to a token withdrawal June 29, but the countries had failed to agree on a timetable for a complete pullout.

The government says 17,000 people have been killed in a secessionist war involving minority Tamil rebels and also a backlash by radicals of the majority Sinhalese protesting the government’s peace overtures to the Tamils.

India sent its first troops to Sri Lanka in 1987 to disarm Tamil rebels who had agreed to surrender under an Indian-brokered peace accord. But the main rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, reneged and began attacking Indian soldiers. More troops were then sent in.

Authorities in Sri Lanka said Friday that 19 people had died in ethnic violence since Wednesday.