Lankan government calls LTTE to return to peace table
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Aug 7, IRNA
Sri Lanka-LTTE-Peace Talk
Sri Lankan government today asked Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to return to the peace talks and expressed its commitment to find a negotiated settlement to all issues even as fighting between Tamil tigers and government forces escalated in the country's north-east region.
A day after peace broker Norway began decisive efforts to find a breakthrough, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said his country was committed to honour the ceasefire despite numerous attacks against government forces by the rebels.
"We still believe that we must get back to the table. We feel LTTE is also feeling the same because of international pressure," he told reporters after a meeting with senior CPI leaders A B Bardhan and D Raja at the party headquarters here.
Samaraweera said he had an "extraordinary discussion" with CPI leaders on the developing situation in Sri Lanka.
"We agreed that the only way out was a negotiated settlement which would deal with the general aspirations of the people," he added.
Sri Lanka has reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement despite numerous attacks by the LTTE, he added.
Emerging from the nearly 30-minute meeting, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said "We told him that we don't want to see an escalation in violence" and peace talks should be resumed at the earliest.
He said his party was in favour of exploring all options, except a military operation, to bring back LTTE to the peace talks.
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