LTTE delegation meets German Foreign Ministry Officials

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 October 2004, 03:45 GMT]
Liberation Tigers delegation led by Head of Political Wing, S. P. Thamilchelvan met with State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Erich Stather, and Minister of State, Federal Foreign Office Ms. Kerstin Muller in meetings Thursday and Friday in Berlin, LTTE sources in Germany said. The delegation flew from Stockholm, Sweden, in a special airacraft that took them to German capital Berlin, Thursday morning.

Head of Battialoa-Amparai LTTE Poltical Wing, Kauslayan, Head of LTTE Police, Mr. Nadesan, Head of TamilEelam Justice Department Para, Director General of LTTE Peace Secreatariat, M. Pulidevan, Deputy Director of Peace Secretariat, Ms Selvy Karthikeyan, and Deputy Head of Women's Political Wing, Ms. Geetha accompanied Thamilchelvan to the meetings.

MrStather and Ms Muller while expressing German Government's concern over the stalled peace process and escalating violence in the east, encouraged the LTTE to maintain its commitment to the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA).

Thamilchelvan briefed the German officials on the prevaililng political climate in Sri Lanka, and explained to the officials the following issues affecting the Tamils in Northeast:

• Tamil people are loosing hope in the peace process as even after two years of the signing of CFA even basic humanitarian needs of the people in Northeast are not yet met.
• Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is still occupying residences and fertile fields belonging to Tamils inside High Security Zones, displacing thousands of Tamils to languish in welfare centers and refugee campsl
• SLA, in violation of clause 1.8 of the CFA which prohibits armed paramilitaries in NorthEast, is collaborating with paramilitaries to promote internecine violence in the east.
• The Sri Lanka Government appears to believe in a military solution as it continues to ignore expression of support from the opposition parties given first time in the historoy of acrimonious Southern politics.

The LTTE delegation urged the German officials to work closely with International Community to pressure the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately resume peace talks on tha basis of LTTE's Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals so that the much needed humanitarian assistance to NorthEast can be delivered.

The LTTE delegation is expected to go to Switzerland before leaving for Colombo on Sunday.