LTTE sets pre-condition

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, APRIL 7. Just when it seemed that Norway 's efforts to facilitate peace talks in Sri Lanka were succeeding, the LTTE has suddenly hardened its position, declaring that it will not participate in the negotiations till the government lifts the ban on it.

This latest pre-condition was conveyed to the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jon Westborg, who visited the LTTE- held northern Sri Lanka on Friday for discussions with its political wing leader, Mr. S. Tamilchelvam.

`We will not under any circumstances participate in the peace negotiations as an outlawed outfit,'' a statement from the LTTE today quoted Mr. Tamilchelvam as telling the envoy.

The LTTE has also reiterated its other demand that the government reciprocate its unilaterally declared cease-fire and described it as an ``essential pre-condition'' for peace talks, according to the statement seen on Internet.

It described the talks between Mr. Westborg and the LTTE representative at Mallavi last evening as a ``marathon six- hour discussion''.

Mr. Westborg was accompanied by another official from the Norwegian embassy, Mr. Tomas Stangeland. On the LTTE side, besides Mr. Tamilchelvam, there were three others identified as Mr. George, Mr. Thangan and Mr. Pulithevan.

The Norwegians and the LTTE held another round of discussions lasting two hours this morning before the diplomats began their journey back to the Sri Lankan capital.

According to the statement, Mr. Tamilchelvam told Mr. Westborg that the government should ``embrace'' the LTTE as the ``authentic representative'' of the Tamil people, and to this end, lift the ban on it.

Sri Lanka proscribed the LTTE after the separatist group carried out a bomb attack on the Dalada Maligawa, the country's most revered Buddhist temple located in the central hill town of Kandy. It would be almost politically impossible for the government to lift the ban at this stage.

The demand for de-proscription was raised by the LTTE's London representative, Mr. Anton Balasingham, a few months ago, but was not set down as a pre-condition by the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Prabhakaran, in his statement last November calling for negotiations.

Peace talks seemed imminent, with the Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, telling Parliament last week that a date and venue for the negotiations would be announced by the end of April, and the lifting of government restrictions on a range of items that could be taken across to LTTE-controlled areas.

Against this background, it was believed that Mr. Westborg was visiting the Vanni to tie up the details for peace talks, not to bring back fresh demands from the LTTE. Mr. Westborg has reportedly told the LTTE he will place its demands before the Sri Lankan government. No official of the Norwegian embassy was available for comment.

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