Talks with a govt. sans defence impractical - Balasingham

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 January 2004, 04:45 GMT]
“It is impractical to hold peace negotiations when one party talks to the Tigers while another keeps the defence ministry in Sri Lanka. The international community, including Norway, has accepted this," Mr. Anton Balasingham, the political advisor of the Liberation Tigers told a Sri Lankan Minister and an MP who met him in London this week, according to the Thursday edition of Eelanaatham, a Tamil daily published from Kilinochchi, the main town in the LTTE controlled Vanni region.

"In the future we will talk only with a Sri Lankan government that would have full power and the mandate of the people," the paper quoted Mr. Balasingham as saying.

Mr. Periyasamy Chandrasekeran, MP, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Community Development and Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP for the Vanni met Mr. Balasingham for wide ranging discussions in London on Tuesday, Eelanaatham said, quoting the Minister.

“The Tigers created conditions for peace even before the ceasefire agreement was signed and they have co-operated in taking forward the peace process," Mr. Balasingham was quoted as saying.