Addu (Maldives), Nov 11 (IANS) With frequent attacks on Indian fishermen a touchy issue arousing much concern in New Delhi, India and Sri Lanka Thursday agreed that the Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries should meet to ensure the Indian fishermen are not attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The decision was taken during a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the margins of the 17th SAARC summit here.

During the talks, Manmohan Singh stressed that waters between the two countries should be free from violence and suggested a meeting between fishermen's associations of the two countries to resolve the issues.

The two leaders agreed that the JWG should ensure that fishermen of India and their counterparts in North Sri Lanka should meet and discuss issues of common concern.

The two sides also discussed the speedy resettlement of Tamils displaced by armed conflict with the LTTE.

Rajapaksa conveyed to Manmohan Singh that there are still about 7,000 IDPs (internally displaced persons) waiting of resettlement and steps would be taken to ensure their rehabilitation.