US urges Sri Lankan gov't, Tamil rebels to resume peace talks

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 03, 2003

US urges Sri Lankan gov't, Tamil rebels to resume peace talks

The United States on Monday urged the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels to resume stalled peace talks as soon as possible, the US embassy here said in a statement.

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The United States on Monday urged the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels to resume stalled peace talks as soon as possible, the US embassy here said in a statement.

The United States urges both the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to resume negotiations "in a timely manner" on the basis of their mutual proposals on an interim administration to be set up in the north and east put forward to each other.

"With a constructive approach and willingness to compromise, we continue to believe that a negotiated solution to the conflict is possible," the statement said.

"We also believe that it is possible for both sides to reach agreement on an interim administration which, over time, must leadinto a permanent peace settlement and governmental structure, in keeping with the principles and statements put forward in Oslo and Tokyo," the statement said.

The United States has been supportive to the ongoing Norwegian-brokered peace process and hosted a preliminary meeting in Washington prior to the international donor conference for Sri Lanka held in Tokyo on June 9-10 this year.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is touring the United States will meet US President George Bush on Wednesday to apprise him of the current peace process in the country and discuss with him the bilateral trade relations.

The LTTE rebels pulled out of peace talks in April following six previous rounds since September last year and demanded the establishment of an interim administration in the war-battered north and east with greater power granted to them for the self governing of the two regions.

They submitted to the government their counter proposals on Friday in response to the government proposals handed over to themin July.

The government called for the resumption of the stalled peace talks despite "fundamental" differences between their proposals.

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