A Sri Lankan moderate Tamil party has asked the government to declare an immediate ceasefire monitored by international observers and hold talks with the LTTE in order to end the 17-year-old conflict. The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), in its election manifesto released in Colombo, said that there should be effective third party international mediation and that, if in order to facilitate these processes there needs to be a ceasefire and such a ceasefire should be brought about with impartial international monitors and observers. It said the party had continuously and consistently worked towards ending the war by asking the government to hold negotiations with the LTTE with third party mediation.
The TULF said it had been in contact with India, US, European Union, Canada, Norway and several other countries to step up international efforts for resumption of negotiations between the Lankan government and the LTTE. TULF, till recently a close ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's coalition government, refused to support her recent efforts to bring in a new draft constitution offering devolution of powers to the Tamil dominated north-east province.

The party's manifesto also said the unitary character of the Sri Lankan state continued to be a major impediment in arriving at a political solution based on meaningful autonomy.
Bureau Report