Nations compete to gain Sri Lanka's favor

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 1 (UPI) -- China, India and Pakistan are competing to win the favor of Sri Lanka and gain better access to the Indian Ocean, The Times of London reported Monday.

In a commentary, the newspaper, without naming sources, said it is well-known that China supplied arms to Sri Lanka in its war against Tamil rebels in a deal to build a major port at Hambantota. But, it said, less well-known is that India was first approached over the Hambantota deal but turned Colombo down.

Now, with China's entry into Sri Lanka, India has been put into an awkward position of not wanting to turn down any of Sri Lanka's wishes lest it go to Beijing for help, the commentary said.

Pakistan is also reportedly involved in the Sri Lanka equation. The Times said it had been selling arms to Sri Lanka in the closing stages of its war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Colombo's relationship with Islamabad could be used as leverage against India.

Sri Lanka's strategic position in the Indian Ocean will be highlighted next month, when for the first time it will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Council as a dialogue partner, the newspaper said.