2ND LEAD

"Talks venue must be acceptable to both parties"- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 September 2005, 09:46 GMT]
Liberation Tigers Political Head, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, who met with Norwegian delegation in Kilinochchi Thursday morning told reporters that a southern venue, including the Colombo airport, does not provide the necessary conducive environment for direct talks. The venue for direct talks must be acceptable to both parties, he added. Thamilchelvan further said that while the Emergency Regulations is in force and in the prevailing unpredicatable political atmosphere with serious controversies in the South, LTTE finds the airport venue not conducive for serious talks. Colombo had declined to have talks in Kilinochchi.

"Katunayake international airport cannot be a venue for meaningful political discussions and the argument that it is secure for LTTE as a transit point to a location outside Sri Lanka, does not hold good when what is contemplated is a serious political discussion involving decisions at the top to trickle down to the armed forces for proper implementation of the CFA,” the LTTE Peace Secretariat website said quoting Mr. Thamilchelvan.

Speaking to TamilNet after the meeting, Mr. Thamilchelvan said that direct talks need to be held in a free and fair environment, not in the domain of a single party excercising hegemony over the other.

Direct talks require a conducive environment that doesn't exist in South at this juncture, specially under the rule of notorious Emergency, he added.

It would not be feasible to conduct talks under stress and state of emergency, Mr. Thamilchelvan told TamilNet.

LTTE's political head also pointed out the current political trend in the South on emphasizing the "unitary state," and the extremist elements joining the political mainstream as factors that "nullify the efforts taken during the last three and a half years to build confidence," according to the Peace Secretariat report.

Head of the SLMM, in responding to Mr. Thamilchelvan on a clarification of the news item that the SLMM met with dismissed LTTE member Karuna's armed group in a location in Batticaloa, said that the purpose of the meeting was to confirm this group’s presence in GoSL controlled areas and confront the Sri Lankan government on the ground reality which is being continuously denied by the SriLankan government, the LTTE Peace Secretariat report said.