SL President expresses satisfaction over Geneva peace talks

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 February 2006, 12:38 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse Sunday met with the government delegation, which attended the Geneva peace talks with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Temple Trees in Colombo and discussed the outcome of talks in Geneva. Mr Rajapakse was satisfied with the decisions reached at the talks, Presidential Secretariat sources said, according government controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in its Sunday evening news bulletin.

Mahinda Rajapakse said the outcome of talks is positive and he hoped the next round of talks with the LTTE also will bring positive results.

Later addressing a press briefing Mr.Nimal Sripala de Silva, senior minister and the head of the government peace delegation described the Geneva talks as a "great achievement in furtherance of peace building."

He added the Geneva stalks have strengthened the trust between the two parties.

Both Minister Silva and lawyer H.L. de Silva told the press that they have put forward amendments to the CeaseFire Agreements. However, LTTE's Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist, Anton Balasingham, had told the media that the Sri Lanka Government has "accepted the meaning and content of the Cease Fire Agreement in full."

The meaningful implementation of the ceasefire agreement is needed at this stage to further strength the goodwill, Mr.Nimal Sripala Silva said.