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Lankan gov't, LTTE delegations leave for Geneva for direct talks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Oct 25, IRNA
Sri Lanka-Geneva-Peace talks
In a bid to seek a lasting political solution that can end the bloody ethnic conflict in the island, negotiating teams of both the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels have left for Geneva to resume their two-day direct peace negotiations.

Although the Norwegian-brokered direct peace talks are due to be held on October 28-29 in Geneva, the agenda of the talks have not yet been revealed or decided.

"Our negotiating team led by political wing leader S P Tamilselvan left Kilinochchi on Tuesday morning in a special military helicopter.

They were accompanied by Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar," a LTTE spokesman said.

According to the LTTE spokesman, the rebel negotiating team comprising its peace secretariat head S Pulidevan, its police chief B Nadesan and military spokesman R Illanthiraiyan will leave for Geneva later in the day via Katunayake International Airport.

Some key members of the government delegation have already left for Geneva while the others, including the chief negotiator, Minister Nimal Sripala de Silva, is scheduled to leave early Wednesday.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who entered into a political deal with the main opposition United National Party (UNP), said on Monday that the country "is much closer to peace than ever before" with the major political parties agreeing in writing to work together to find a lasting negotiated political settlement to the ethnic conflict.

Unlike the previous rounds of talks, this time around the parties are entering the negotiating table while waging an intense war mainly in the north-east region which has left well over 2500 combatants and civilians dead and several more wounded.

Over 250,000 people, mainly Tamils living in the north-east, have been displaced internally, while over 13,000 people have fled to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to seek refuge.

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