SL Prez Rajapakse to continue talks with Tigers

Colombo, Oct 9: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse today reiterated his "commitment to a negotiated settlement" to the prolonged ethnic conflict, but stressed that his government would "take appropriate counter measures if the LTTE were to continue its provocative actions."

President Rajapakse's warning comes after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) issued one of their own on Saturday.

"The President reiterated his firm commitment to a negotiated settlement and to make the forthcoming talks successful. He emphasized that the government would be compelled to take appropriate counter-measures to ensure security if the LTTE were to continue with violent and provocative actions," a statement from the President's office said.

Ambassadors of the four-member Co-Chairs, the US, Japan, Norway and the EU met President Rajapakse to discuss the progress of talks with the LTTE, expected to be held during the end of this month in Switzerland.

Describing the discussions as "cordial and constructive", the statement said that President had urged the Co-Chairs to persuade the LTTE to abandon their violent approach and return to the negotiating table.

Appreciating contributions by UN agency representatives in assisting the government's efforts to provide essential services to the affected areas, President Rajapakse said his government "will continue to facilitate humanitarian access to affected areas keeping in mind security considerations as well".

UNI

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