Sri Lanka will not ban LTTE

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
"We will not proscribe the Liberation Tigers because we want to keep the doors ajar for negotiations with them" said Prof. G.L Pieris , Sri Lanka's Minister for constitutional affairs and deputy minister for finance, answering questions at a press conference at 11 am. this morning in Colombo.

The press conference was called to explain to the local and foreign media about the current status of the government's political package.

He further noted "if the LTTE is prepared to talk about the proposals made by government, the President has indicated her wish to acquiesce in that". Prof. G.L also said that the government's war on the LTTE is as powerful as proscribing it to further emphasise his point that there is no need to proscribe the LTTE.

Sections of the local media have recently been highly critical of the PA regime for not following up the US listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation by passing law to ban it in Sri Lanka.

However, since Saturday Oct. 25 the euphoria over the US listing appeared to be fizzling out after America's Asst. Sec. Of State for South Asia Karl F. Inderfurth called on the LTTE to support a political settlement in Sri Lanka.