Delegation to meet LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A delegation of UNP and PA chairmen and members of local government bodies in the Matara district was brought to Batticaloa today by the National Peace Council, a Colombo based conflict resolution non governmental organisation (NGO), for a discussion with the Liberation Tigers.

The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow in an unspecified location in the Paduvankarai region, the large western hinterland of the Batticaloa district which is under the control of the Liberation Tigers.

National Peace Council officials, Tyrell Ferdinands and Nirupa Wickrmasighe accompanied the local government politicians from the Matara district.

Ven. Siddhartha Thero, the chief incumbent of the Akkuressa Vihara (Buddhist temple) also came with the delegation.

There are eighteen chairmen and members of local government local bodies in Matara belonging to both the PA and UNP.

Sources said that this is the first time since 1994 that politicians from the UNP and the PA are meeting with the Liberation Tigers.

An National Peace Council team met the Liberation Tigers on March 23 to prepare the ground for the discussion tomorrow.

The delegation from Matara met with their counterparts in the local government bodies in Batticaloa, including the Mayor of the Batticaloa Municipal council.