Colombo: Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the
main party of the Sri Lankan Tamils, on Thursday threatened to
withdraw from talks with the government if it did agree to
step up the pace for a meaningful devolution of power and
reconciliation with the minority ethnic community.
The party have pushed for meaningful devolution to the
north and east regions since the end to the ethnic war.
Today`s decision is being viewed as their giving vent to
frustration over the slow process of making any progress.
The TNA has brought forward three conditions at
reconciliation talks held today with the government, the party
said in a statement.
The TNA said three points for which they want the
government to respond in quick time are the structure of
governance for north and east regions, allocation of subjects
and functions to the provincial councils and the issues
relating to fiscal and financial devolution.
They have warned the government that they would withdraw
from talks if the government did not respond positively within
10 days.
The two parties held their tenth round of direct talks
which was a process began in January when president Mahinda
Rajapaksa appointed a high powered ministerial committee to
talk to the main Tamil party.
The latest warning represents a toughening of the TNA’s
stand after they recorded a thumping victory in the local
council elections held at the end of last month.
They won 15 of the 18 councils in the northern Jaffna
district, the heartland of a three decade ethnic conflict that
ended in May 2009.
The TNA was seen as the proxy of the LTTE before the
armed group came to be defeated in 2009 signalling the end to
their separatist campaign.
PTI
