Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Tuesday expressed willingness to hold talks with Tamil rebels without insisting on de-commissioning of weapons, but said they were refusing to negotiate. Kumaratunga, in an interview to a television channel, said the separatist LTTE were unwilling to enter Norwegian-backed peace process despite the concessions made by her.
“We just said come for talks and we can see what we can agree to.
Earlier Sri Lanka had insisted the LTTE make a commitment to lay down arms, recognise the democratic right of other Tamil political groups and discuss substantive issues within a specified timeframe. Kumaratunga said the guerrillas had in November agreed to unconditional talks, but later began imposing one condition after the other, including the lifting of a January 1998 ban.
The government was willing to consider lifting the proscription if the LTTE entered peace talks, she said, adding the tigers had in recent months made it clear to the Norwegians that the process was on hold.
The Norwegians are still on board but it seems a little slowed down because the LTTE have said they are not interested. The LTTE has clearly said we will wait and see. Kumaratunga charged that the LTTE, which is leading a drawn out campaign for independence in the island's northeast, was helping the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to defeat the government.
Bureau Report