Colombo, June 09: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe moved to revive stalled peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels by offering to meet their key demand for an interim administration for the Island's Tamil-majority northeast. Speaking at the start of a donors' conference in Tokyo, Ranil Wickremesinghe also said his government would consider calling a referendum to endorse changes to the country's Constitution that could be part of a final solution to the 20-year conflict.
"We will introduce constitutional reforms when we have negotiated a final political solution, which we are fully committed to take to the people of Sri Lanka through a referendum for the ultimate decision," he told the conference, itself seen as a crucial step towards cementing the fragile peace process.
The rebels refused to attend the Tokyo meeting and walked out of peace talks in April citing the slow pace of rebuilding in war-torn Tamil areas. But they have said they would consider resuming talks if the government agreed to an interim authority, which it had previously rejected as unconstitutional.
Wickremesinghe's offer of a provisional authority came as representatives from more than 30 countries and 20 institutions began pledging funds expected to total around $3 billion over three years that will be tied to further progress towards peace.
The aid is aimed at providing all sides with an incentive to accelerate the peace process after a 16-month ceasefire rather than return to a war that has claimed 64,000 lives. The Tamil Tigers, reacting on the weekend to reports that the government would make the offer of an interim authority, had said they wanted to see concrete proposals. Bureau Report