Colombo to take positive steps to resume talks with LTTE-Peiris

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 May 2003, 16:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman, Minister G.L.Peiris, said Thursday that the Sri Lanka government is in the process of taking positive steps to accelerate the resettlement of internally displaced and to strengthen the function of the Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs(SIHRN) in an attempt to bring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam back to the negotiating table.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has communicated this message to the Japanese and Norway mediators, Peiris said, addressing the cabinet press briefing held at the Department of Information.

The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi has assured Mr. Wickremasinghe that the LTTE will not go to war against the Sri Lanka Government again. On his return from Killinochchi Wednesday following discussions with the LTTE leader, Mr.V.Pirapaharan, Mr. Akashi met the Prime Minister the same day, according to cabinet spokesman Minister G.L.Peiris, sources said

Minister Peiris further said that the LTTE has not completely withdrawn from the peace process. It has suspended participation in the peace talks for the time being until some decisions arrived earlier regarding the resettlement of IDPs in their villages and strengthening the functions of the SIHRN are implemented. The talks with LTTE will be started once these concerns of the LTTE are sorted out, he added.