No country will be allowed to act against India from Sri Lankan soil ......

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an exclusive interview to the Indian daily "The Hindu" has said that Sri Lanka will not allow any country to act against India's interest from its soil,

The President has said he was worried about the "message of separatism" still emanating from Tamil Nadu but he understood the compulsions of politicians in New Delhi and would give them a "wide margin".  

He has made this statement responding to a question on deteriorating ties between the two countries due to coalition pressures on New Delhi from their partners in Tamil Nadu.

Terming the India-Sri Lanka relationship as still very good, he has pointed out that Indians controlled all wholesale businesses in Sri Lanka and were also at the helm of 43 international companies operating in Sri Lanka.  

The Northern Province is going to the polls after a gap of 25 years.

The opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has raised the issue of Chinese presence in Sri Lanka. The President has said that he had sought China's help in development, including in satellite technology, after the 30-year civil war that had battered the country and killed more than 120,000 people.

The President has said that India's fears are unfounded, and Sri Lanka will never allow any country to act against India in any way from our soil.