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Colombo, LTTE blame each other for violence

V.S. Sambandan

Colombo: The Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have blamed each other for the declining security situation and called upon the international community to halt the slide.

The calls were made by Government's chief negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva and LTTE's political wing leader S.P. Tamilselvan, in separate meetings with visiting Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi.

The Government wanted the international community to put pressure on the Tigers to return to negotiations. The LTTE said "the war-like attacks" by the "Sri Lankan armed forces" would force the "Tamil people to take a decision that will bring doom to Sri Lanka."

Mr. de Silva, who met Mr. Akashi on Monday, wanted him to "enlighten the co-chairs about the LTTE's attitudes and violations of the ceasefire agreement and to put pressure on the LTTE to return to the peace process."

A government statement quoted the Minister as saying Colombo was "fully prepared" to commence talks with the LTTE "any time."

Second round talks

He also discussed with Mr. Akashi the proposed second round of the ceasefire implementation talks. The LTTE, he said, "has not shown any interest or commitment so far to re-enter the peace process".

Mr. Tamilselvan, who met Mr. Akashi in Kilinochchi on Tuesday, blamed the armed forces for "continued killings" of Tamils. He said it "is in the hands of the international community to end this war-like attack and create a more conducive environment for peace talks."

The LTTE's political wing leader handed over a report of the "statistics on Tamil civilian casualties at the hands of the Sri Lankan armed forces," an LTTE statement said.

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