Colombo, Nov 28: Sri Lanka President's party today said that it was still studying a Tamil rebel warning of separation unless majority Sinhalese politicians ended their bitter power struggle and revived a Norwegian-backed peace bid. President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance said that it was looking at the speech made yesterday by Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran who said the political turmoil had endangered the peace initiative. "We don't want to give a piecemeal reaction," party spokesman Sarath Amunugama said. "We are studying the speech and we will come up with a detailed response next week."

The President's party had earlier been quick to criticise the Tamil Tigers as well as the Norwegian-backed peace bid, but diplomats said the party appeared to be taking a more measured approach amid international pressure not to scuttle the peace process.
Prabhakaran in his speech denied allegations by Kumaratunga that the rebels were re-arming, recruiting and strengthening themselves taking advantage of an Oslo-brokered truce since February 23 last year.

The press here reported Prabhakaran's speech made at the culmination of their heroes' week celebrations to honour 17,708 war dead, but made no comments. There was also no immediate comment from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government.
Prabhakaran, who marked his 49th birthday on Wednesday, said a power struggle between Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe had cast doubts over the peace process.
Bureau Report