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Rajapakse invites LTTE to enter peace talks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Nov 29, IRNA
Lanka-Rajapakse-LTTE
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse today invited the LTTE to enter into peace talks a day after the rebels issued a deadline for the new government to come up with a "reasonable" political settlement or risk establishment of a separate Tamil state.

Rajapakse, in an address to Colombo-based diplomats, said he wanted talks with the Tigers but did not directly respond to the deadline issued by the LTTE.

"Let me use this occasion to reiterate my invitation to LTTE's leader Velupillai Prabhakaran for talks," the president said. His speech was released by his office as well as the foreign ministry, PTI reported here.

However, there was no cabinet meeting to discuss the statement made by Prabhakaran, a spokesman for Rajapakse's office said.

He said the government was also not issuing a statement on the LTTE supremo's ultimatum but that the president had referred to it in his speech to the Colombo-based diplomats.

"We can resume work immediately on reviewing the operation of the ceasefire, whilst we prepare ourselves for eventual substantive talks," the president said.

Rajapakse, who told Parliament on Friday that he wanted a "new peace process" and a "revision" of the current truce, said he expected the Tigers to abide by the ceasefire, stop human rights abuses, political killings and child recruitment.

He said he had asked the foreign ministry and the Peace Secretariat to initiate consultations with the key backers of the Island's peace process -- the US, Japan, European Union and Norway.

The Sri Lankan president's address to diplomats in Colombo was the first government reaction to Prabhakaran's speech yesterday. The LTTE supremo had issued an ultimatum to the new government.

"This is our urgent and final appeal," he had said in a speech broadcast over the rebel Voice of Tigers radio.

"If the new government rejects our urgent appeal, we will next year establish self-government in our homeland."
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