New Delhi - Sri Lanka has agreed to accept a ship with aid from Europe for the Tamil community displaced during the recently-concluded civil war, Indian officials said Thursday.

Colombo had turned away the ship, MV Captain Ali, sent by the Tamil diaspora, earlier this month, forcing it to anchor off India's southern city of Chennai.

The vessel will now be allowed to off load nearly 900 tons of food and medicine following talks between India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and senior Sri Lankan officials in New Delhi on Wednesday.

"The Sri Lankan delegation kindly agreed to our suggestion and the ship will be now routed to Sri Lanka through the Indian Red Cross," Krishna said in a statement posted on the Indian External Affairs Ministry website.

The visiting delegation included Basil Rajapaksa, senior advisor to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The aid is meant for the minority Tamils who fled their homes as Sri Lankan forces mounted an operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the northeastern coast.

The LTTE was defeated last month, bringing an end to a 30-year-old civil war.

On June 8, the Sri Lankan navy turned away the Captain Ali, a Syrian-registered ship, after detaining the vessel and its crew for three days for questioning.

Sri Lankan authorities had accused the ship of violating Sri Lankan territorial waters.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry said the ship was "carrying supplies" for the defeated Tamil rebels.

However, only relief items including food and medicine were found on the ship which travelled from Britain via France to Sri Lanka.

During the talks in Delhi, Sri Lanka assured India that it would arrange for the return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes and dismantle the camps where they are held within 180 days.

"India will assist in the resettlement and rehabilitation process and we are committed to helping the de-mining activity, which must be the first step to permit the IDPs' safe return home," Krishna added.

The plight of Sri Lankan Tamils is an emotional issue in India's southern Tamil Nadu state. Over 60 million Tamils live in the state, which is separated from northern Sri Lanka by a narrow stretch of sea. (dpa)