LTTE delegation leaves Colombo for Paris talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 20 August 2003, 05:50 GMT]
A high powered delegation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, led by its political head Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, left Colombo by Sri Lankan Air Lines Wednesday early morning around 2 a.m. to Paris in France, sources at the Colombo airport said.

The LTTE delegation comprised LTTE Batticaloa-Amparai district special commander, Col. Karuna, Economic Expert, Dr.Jay Maheswaran, LTTE peace secretariat head, Mr.Pulithevan, the chief of the now-defunct Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN), Mr.Irenus Selvin, and others.

The Second Secretary in the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo is accompanying the LTTE delegation to Paris, and the Norwegian special peace envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, is expected to participate at the concluding session of the Paris talks, a spokesman at the Norwegian Embassy said.

Speaking to journalists in Kilinochchi before he left for Colombo Tuesday, Mr.Thamilchelvan expressed confidence that the Sri Lankan government would accept the LTTE's response to its interim administration proposals, which is to be prepared in consultation with constitutional and legal experts and would be submitted to the UNF government through the Norwegian facilitators

Mr.Thamilchelvan further said that the LTTE response would fulfill the aspirations and expectations of Tamils in the northeast province and also meet the aspirations of Muslims. The LTTE's response would be prepared to safeguard the interests of all communities living in the homeland, he said according to Vanni sources.

The LTTE delegation stayed in Colombo under special security at the Katunayake airport premises from the time they arrived in Colombo from Kilinochchi and Batticaloa Tuesday afternoon. Two helicopters of the Sri Lanka Air Force brought down the ten members of the LTTE delegation to Colombo Tuesday afternoon, airport sources said