Colombo, Jan 12: Leaflets distributed in the Tamil heartland of Jaffna have warned of a return to war if Sri Lankan leaders use their power struggle to "cheat" minority Tamils, a pro-Tamil rebel website reported today. The leaflets signed by a group known as the "Tamil national awareness movement" said fighting would be inevitable if Colombo rejected peace proposals of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"War would be inevitable if Sri Lankan leaders insidiously reject the LTTE's interim self governing authority (ISGA) proposal and if they consider this peace period as a time to cheat," the tamilnet.com website said.

It quoted the leaflets as saying that both the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his rival president Chandrika Kumaratunga were responsible for stalling the Norwegian-backed peace process.
Kumaratunga sacked three ministers in Wickremesinghe's cabinet on November 4 and took over the defence, interior and information portfolios just four days after the LTTE unveiled its first ever blueprint for a political settlement.

Kumaratunga's actions led Norway to suspend its role in the peace negotiations, which Wickremesinghe then said he could no longer be responsible for.

Four previous peace bids ended in failure and led to more bloodshed, but the latest initiative has unprecedented international support.
Bureau Report