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Sri Lanka insists on talks with LTTE at home
August 25, 2005 15:48 IST
Sri Lanka has rejected a demand by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to hold talks on salvaging their truce in Oslo, Norway and insisted that they be held anywhere within the country. Government spokesman Nimal Siripala de Silva told reporters in Colombo that they were keen to hold discussions on implementation of the February 23, 2002, truce in Sri Lanka and not abroad.
He said the government wanted to discuss only the implementation and strengthening of the ceasefire and not anything else related to the peace process.
"The government stand is that it is more practical to hold it here," de Silva said. He said they were yet to receive a response from the LTTE.
Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency shortly after Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar's assassination on August 12 and asked Norway to arrange urgent talks with the LTTE in a bid to prevent further political killings.
The LTTE agreed to the negotiations but denied involvement in the assassination. The Norwegian embassy here said there was no agreement yet on the date and the venue for the truce review.