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LTTE is willing to talk, says Kumaratunga

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has shown interest in negotiating with the government and may not insist on a separate Tamil homeland, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said.

Kumaratunga told foreign correspondents based in Colombo at the president's secretariat last evening that the LTTE has sent signals indicating that they willing to talk to the government.

She said, "The government is committed to solve the ethnic problem, and the majority of Tamils in the country too want an end to the conflict.''

It was Kumaratunga's first engagement outside her 'Temple Trees' residence after she survived an assassination attempt in December.

Before meeting journalists, she met foreign diplomats based in Colombo to explain her government's efforts to bring peace to the country.

She said, "Whether our peace proposals will ever solve Prabhakaran's personal proposals we don't know''.

"The LTTE may be committed to violence but we are deeply and honestly committed to the democratic process'' she said.

Kumaratunga said her government wants to arrive at a political agreement with the LTTE with certain constitutional guarantees.

She said the government would neither set nor accept any preconditions for talks. "We will never agree to withdrawal of troops from the north and east,'' she said but added that proposal to de-escalate the conflict would be considered if the talks progressed satisfactorily.

The government wanted to conclude talks with the LTTE before August so that general elections could be held under the new constitution which the political parties are deliberating on.

When asked about the government representative for the talks, Kumaratunga said, "Prabhakaran is not a head of the state but if he talks on behalf of LTTE at least a minister will head our delegation''.

UNI

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