The Hindu : International : Karuna faction offers ceasefire to LTTE

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006

International

International

Karuna faction offers ceasefire to LTTE

Colombo: A breakaway faction of the Tamil Tiger rebels on Monday offered a ceasefire to the mainstream LTTE and said the move was aimed at giving Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse a chance to forge peace.

``This unilateral ceasefire is declared to create a conducive environment for the Sri Lankan President to continue with his negotiations to bring about a permanent settlement," renegade leader V. Muralitharan, better known as "Colonel Karuna," said in a statement issued to the Asian Tribune website.

The Government and the LTTE agreed last week to meet for the first time in three years to try to save their ceasefire that came under intense pressure following the killing of over 150 people since December. Much of the killing was also blamed on the factional fighting in the LTTE.

Karuna led an unprecedented split in March 2004, sparking fierce clashes. The bloodshed made it more difficult for peace broker Norway to bring the two main antagonists to the negotiating table.

The mainstream Tigers have accused the Government of protecting Karuna's loyalists to carry out attacks against LTTE supporters.

Karuna asked Sri Lanka's peace broker Norway to make him a party to any peace deal, but both Colombo and the LTTE refused to deal with him, at least officially.

— PTI

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