Sri Lanka re-opens door to peace talks

Colombo, Sept 13: The Sri Lankan government said today it was committed to holding peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, provided the rebels agreed to ''a comprehensive and verifiable cessation of hostilities''.

Earlier, the government had denied agreeing to unconditional talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), flatly contradicting a statement issued by international mediators in Brussels yesterday.

Colombo later re-opened the door to dialogue with the rebels, provided they renounced ''terrorism and violence''.

It also said the LTTE had used peace talks in the past to beef up their military capabilities, and asked mediators to mount an arms blockade on the rebels to prevent this from happening again.

''While the government notes the above concerns, it remains fully committed to participate at peace talks with the LTTE,'' it said.

''However, the specific modalities relating to dates and venue must be discussed and agreed between the government of Sri Lanka and the facilitator,'' it added, referring to the Norwegian government, which acts as mediator in the peace process.

Analysts said the flip-flop may reflect disagreements between hardline and more moderate elements in the governing coalition.

The military also appeared keen to press home recent military advances before the onset of monsoon rains next month and was reluctant to silence its guns immediately, they said.

''OUT-GUNNED AND OVERPOWERED''

The LTTE pulled out of peace talks in April and a new bout of fighting erupted in late July, killing hundreds of troops, rebels and civilians in the worst violence since a 2002 ceasefire.

Both sides have launched offensives since then, although the tide appeared to be turning in the army's favour.

It has captured rebel territory near the strategic port of Trincomalee and says it has overrun Tiger frontline positions in the Jaffna peninsula in the far north.

The defence ministry said the rebels had only agreed to talk because the war was going badly for them.

''The LTTE's willingness to talk now shows that it has been out-gunned on the ground and overpowered by the aerial offensive of the government forces,'' it said in a statement.

Hopes for at least a lull in the fighting rose yesterday when mediators and donors announced that Colombo and the rebels had agreed to hold unconditional peace talks, and suggested the negotiations take place in Oslo in early October.

Sri Lanka's government accused donors of ''procedural irregularities'' by making commitments to dates and venue without prior consultation with it.

The Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils, saying they are discriminated against by the majority Sinhalese, who dominate the government and the army. The government has ruled out anything beyond local autonomy.

Sri Lanka's military and the Tigers have each accused the other of trying to restart a two-decade civil war that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983 and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

More than 200,000 people have sought refuge in tented camps across the Tamil-dominated north and east in the past six weeks.

REUTERS