'No A-9 opening till violence by LTTE stops'

Dehradun, Nov 26: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse today renewed his invitation to Tamil Tiger rebels to resume the stalled peace talks to end the escalating violence but made it clear that the A-9 Highway, connecting Jaffna with the mainstream, blockade would not be lifted till the cessation of terrorist activities by LTTE.

Ahead of his meeting with his Indian counterpart APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the next two days, Mr Rajapakse said he would brief and discuss the Sri Lankan situation with Indian leaders, apprising them of the threat to security of the entire region by the LTTE activities.

Putting the ball in the LTTE's court for restoration of peace, Mr Rajapakse said he was not averse to peace talks but they (LTTE) have always either rejected the efforts or made their own position impossible. The Sri Lankan Government has always offered to negotiate with them across the table and craft a solution that respects human rights and democratic values.

In a chat with newspersons, Mr Rajapakse said that he would seek India's assistance to patrol the Indo-Lankan maritime border to combat terrorist and smuggling activities.

He outrightly rejected the possibility of his seeking international Military intervention to tackle the LTTE (The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). ''Why should I go and seek the coalition forces intervention in my country'', Mr Rajapakse remarked when a reporter asked him about this possibility.

UNI

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