Sri Lankan President Expresses Commitment to Peace Process

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 06, 2002

Sri Lankan President Expresses Commitment to Peace Process

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Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga is fully committed to the Norwegian-brokered peace process despite her reservation over some clauses in the ceasefire agreement between the government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, presidential spokesman Harim Peiris said on Wednesday.

"Yes we do have concerns. But that does not mean she ( Kumaratunga) is opposed to the process," Peiris told reporters here.

Kumaratunga, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan troops which are engaged in the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)rebels, took exception to the content in the truce pact signed between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the LTTE leader Velupillai Probhakaran on February 22.

The truce pact is seen the first stage of the Norway-brokered peace negotiations between the two sides aimed at ending the long- running ethnic conflict that had cost over 64,000 lives since 1983.

In a letter sent to Wickremesinghe recently, Kumaratunga accused the government of compromising the country's sovereignty by signing the pact with the rebels.

Peiris said Kumaratunga's 1995 ceasefire deal was a part of the peace process unlike the present one which has an end in itself.

Kumaratunga was providing advise, assistance and guidance to Wickremesinghe's government on the truce pact in spite of her highlighting of its shortcomings, he said.

Peiris said Kumaratunga's next step would be to "join hands with the government to make the process work."

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