NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
K Venkataramanan in Colombo
Sri Lanka's leading Tamil moderate party has asked President Chandrika Kumaratunga to call off a referendum fixed for August 21 and resume efforts to get peace talks going with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The central committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front met in Colombo on Monday and demanded the revocation the President's July 10 proclamation, proroguing Parliament till September 7 and announcing the referendum on the question whether Sri Lanka needed a new constitution.
If the referendum was not called off, the TULF said, it would campaign for a negative vote 'because of the uncertainty that prevails in regard to both the content of the proposed new constitution and the procedure to be adopted for its formulation'.
A TULF statement on the central committee's decisions said the party wanted the Norwegian initiative to broker direct talks between the government and the LTTE be pursued forthwith. The rebels were also asked to cooperate in the effort so that negotiations could begin early.
The TULF suggested that Kumaratunga should frame a new draft constitution on the basis of talks with the LTTE and other political parties then place the draft before the public by way of a referendum.
The party made it clear that its opposition to the referendum did not signify acceptance of the existing 1978 constitution, which needed to be repealed by a new constitution acceptable to everyone.
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