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Talks if violence stops: Colombo

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Tigers yet to respond to the Government's offer

COLOMBO: Amid quiet on the battlefront after several weeks, Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it was ready for talks with the LTTE once there was a "clear commitment by the LTTE leader to a comprehensive and verifiable cessation of hostilities."

A statement on the Brussels declaration of the Co-Chairs said talks would have to be preceded by personal guarantees from V. Prabakaran on a mechanism for cessation of hostilities. "The Government is pleased that the Co-Chair members have endorsed this approach and stated that the LTTE must abide by all agreements and renounce terrorism and violence."

Significantly, since the Brussels declaration on Tuesday night, there were no reports of fighting in any part of the island. The Tigers were mum to the Co-Chairs' statement and the Government's reaction to it.

The Government said the process must be conducted between a democratically elected government of a sovereign State and an armed group practising terrorism.

Experience

"It has been the experience in the past that the LTTE has always used peace talks as a period to enhance its military capabilities. The Government hopes that the Co-Chairs and the facilitator will do the utmost to ensure that the past practices of the LTTE are not repeated in this instance. Defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella took exception to some media statements attributed to Norwegian Special Envoy Erick Solheim. "The Government of Sri Lanka is highly disturbed with regard to the statement made by the Norwegian facilitator, as the Government neither agreed to unconditional talks nor was consulted. Thus, the Co-Chairs, the international community and the general public have been misled," he said.

He also found fault with Mr. Solheim for talking about the north and east merger. "However, de-merger is a matter constitutionally vested with the general public of the country through a referendum. Furthermore, the 1987 Indo-Lanka peace accord deals with this issue in detail. The matter is also currently being challenged before the Supreme Court. Under these circumstances the facilitator making any statement with regard to an internal matter of Sri Lanka is unacceptable."

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