Lankan rebels refuse to meet Scandinavian peace envoys
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, April 22, IRNA
Sri Lanka-LTTE-Peace Talks
The Sri Lankan rebels, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Saturday refused to meet the Scandinavian peace envoy.
The head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, Ulf Henricsson, and a Norwegian diplomat returned to Colombo without meeting the Tiger leadership in the guerrilla-held political capital Kilinochchi after spending the night there, PTI report said here quoting the diplomats.
"Henricsson returned to Colombo this morning after spending overnight in Kilinochchi," a diplomat said. "They have not been able to meet with the Tiger leadership."
The LTTE said their commanders did not meet Henricsson because there was no change in their position.
The Tigers insisted on helicopter rides to transport their field commanders from the island's east to the north for internal consultations ahead of attending ceasefire talks with the Sri Lankan government in Switzerland.
Sri Lankan government turned down helicopter transport and instead offered a boat ride that was aborted by the Tigers after accusing the Sri Lanka navy of 'excessive interference'.
The Tigers put off the Swiss talks, initially due to start on April 19, by five days. Later they said they had indefinitely postponed their participation until the transport issue was resolved.
Meanwhile, a claymore mine went off in the island's north on Saturday, killing a soldier and wounding several others.
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