Sri Lankan gov't says peace talks only with Tamil rebels

The Sri Lankan government has said that it will talk peace only with the Tamil Tiger rebels when the stalled peace process is resumed but all political parties and groups will be consulted for the solution to the two decades of ethnic conflict, the Sunday Times said.

"Taking into account political and ground realities concerning the conduct of negotiations, it is clear that the two principal parties at the negotiation table can only be the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)," a statement issued on Saturday by the United People's Freedom Alliance led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga said.

It also said that the government recognizes the LTTE by implication as the sole representative of the country's largest minority Tamil community which is seen as a major policy shift of the government.

The government position on the peace talks have drawn concern of other small Tamil and Muslim parties.

The Eelam People's Democratic Party leader and cabinet ministerDouglas Devananda has said that his party did not agree to this viewpoint.

However, the UPFA statement said that no other Tamil party had objected to talks being conducted by the government with the LTTE rebels.

Meanwhile, leader of the main Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauff Hakeem said that peace talks will not be a success without a separate Muslim delegation.

Hakeem, a minister of former government of Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe, and a member on the government delegation in the six rounds of peace talks with the LTTE rebels had pressed the government to allow a separate Muslim delegation to attend the peace negotiations.

The Muslims, the second largest minority community after Tamilswho dominate the east of the country, fear that they will be controlled and harassed by the LTTE if the self-autonomy is granted to them by the government.

During the recent visit of the Norwegian peace facilitators, the LTTE rebels have agreed to restart peace talks with the government at any time if the government is ready.

The rebels walked out of the talks with the government in Aprillast year, complaining that decisions made at the previous six rounds of talks which started in September 2002 has not been sufficiently implemented by the government.

Source: Xinhua