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Eschew violence, U.S. tells LTTE

V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO: The U.S. has criticised the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for "undermining" the organisation's "claims to legitimacy" through "pursuit of violence."

Australia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) also have expressed concern over the recent escalation in violence, particularly in the north-east, and urged early resumption of negotiations.

The strongest criticism came from U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeffrey Lunstead in an address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka earlier this week.

"The LTTE's current actions call into question its `leadership' of the Tamil people. What kinds of leaders block their people from realising their most fundamental democratic aspirations? What kinds of leaders allow their people to continue to suffer from a lack of investment and industry? What kinds of leaders continue to pursue violence when the clear benefits of peace are obvious? These are not acts of leadership," Mr. Lunstead said.

Mr. Lunstead's admittedly "blunt language" is against the backdrop of a string of attacks by suspected LTTE cadres on the security forces since December. Urging the Tigers to abandon violence, Mr. Lunstead said: "There can be a role for the LTTE in future development of Sri Lanka, but only if it returns to the peace table, renounces terrorism in word and deed and become a responsible participant in Sri Lanka's future. And this will lead to a better life for Tamils and all Sri Lankans in the north and east."

The ADB's permanent representative in Sri Lanka, Alessandro Pio, urged both the Government and the LTTE to "put an end to the escalating violence and immediately return to the negotiating table," a report in the Daily Mirror said. Mr. Pio told the newspaper: "The situation is not grave enough to hurt ADB assistance at the moment, but if it continues to deteriorate, it could have an impact."

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