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India raises hopes for revival of peace talks in Sri Lanka

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, June 6, IRNA
India-Sri Lanka
India's support for President Chandrika Kumaratunga's move to join hands with Tamil Tigers to distribute tsunami aid has raised hopes of reviving peace talks, analysts told the Press Trust of India in Colombo.

India's expression of support for Kumaratunga's move to enter a joint mechanism with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a culmination of foreign support for the move.

Kumaratunga during her talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders, conveyed her desire to enter into the controversial deal despite opposition within her Marxist-backed coalition.

"The prime minister expressed understanding of and support for these ongoing efforts," the joint statement said.

Kumaratunga is now expected to tackle opposition from her main coalition ally, the Marxist JVP, political analyst and former air chief Harry Gunatillake said.

"India support is crucial because any deal here requires New Delhi's tacit approval," he said. "She now has it and I expect her to sign a deal within a week or two."
The aid deal will bring the government and rebels into close cooperation and also help revive the peace process which remain stalled since April 2003.

Welcoming India's stand, Tamil politician Dharamlingam Sithadthan said the work would now begin to help the island's minority Tamils.

He said India has stood by its policy of pluralism and expected the Tigers to accommodate other political groups in the aid-sharing mechanism.

Hundreds of Buddhist monks from the Nationalist Heritage Party (JHU) launched a protest in Colombo against the proposed deal and headed off to the Temple of the Tooth in the central town of Kandy for a rally tomorrow.

The LTTE has said it is willing to agree to the aid deal with the government and blamed Colombo for the delay.

The government needs the support of the rebels to carry out reconstruction in guerrilla-held areas.

International donors have called for the joint mechanism to equitably distribute aid because several countries, including Japan and the United States, have laws prohibiting direct aid to the rebels.

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