S.Lankan govt, Tamil rebels no closer to agreement on resuming talks

Despite a hectic shuttle diplomacy by the Norwegian peace facilitators, a rift remains between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels on the possible resumption of the stalled peace process in the war-torn country.

The government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels are not close to an agreement on the time and modality of resuming the peace talks between the two sides following a meeting between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and visiting Norwegian special peace envoy Erik Solheim on Thursday evening, the pro-rebel TamilNet website said on Friday.

President Kumaratunga held a two-hour discussion with Solheim, their first meeting since he arrived in the island late Monday, onthe possible resumption of the peace talks.

The talks focused on the outcome of the talks Solheim had with LTTE leadership in rebel-held northern town of Kilinochchi on Wednesday.

After his meeting with Solheim, the LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilchelvan said that the setting up of the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) in the war-battered north and east "should precede first before commencing talks on the core issues."

But the government demanded that the discussion on their power sharing proposals be held simultaneously with the final settlement to the country's two decades of ethnic conflict.

The LTTE rebels said that they are committed to the ceasefire agreement signed with the previous government of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and was for the resumption of peace talks on the basis of previous rounds with former government.

"The President while confirming the government's readiness to enter into negotiations with the LTTE had an exchange of views on the agenda for the talks. It was agreed that the Norwegian delegation would continue consultations in this regard." the presidential secretariate said in a statement.

Norwegian facilitators are expected to return to Kilinochchi onFriday or later to convey the outcome of their talks with President Kumaratunga and to convey the stand of the government in preparing the agenda for future talks.

It is the third visit of the Norwegian peace facilitators to the country since the beginning of this month.

At the invitation of President Kumaratunga last month, Norway agreed to continue its role as peace facilitators in their efforts to end the country's long running ethnic conflict.

The LTTE rebels pulled out of the talks with the government in April last year following six rounds of direct negotiations, complaining that the government had not done enough to implement decisions reached at the previous rounds of talks.

Prior to the talks which began in September 2002, the two sides entered into a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire seven months earlier.

The LTTE rebels submitted to the previous Wickremesinghe government the proposals for the establishment of the ISGA in the north and east at the end of October last year but was rejected bythe then opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party led by President Kumaratunga.

Kumaratunga's party said that the rebel proposals are a step forward towards a de facto independent Tamil state.

The Wickremesinghe government also said that they did not agree with some party of the rebel proposals.

There was no chance for the discussion of the rebel proposals between the two sides when President Kumaratunga dismissed the three key ministers including the defense of the previous government early November last year.

Subsequently, she ordered the dissolution of the parliament in February this year and called for a snap parliamentary elections which brought her party into power again after two years in opposition.