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LTTE says de-escalation must to resume talks

A Correspondent

Leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Prabhakaran, has termed the de-escalation of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka and restoration of normalcy as pre-requisites to resume political negotiations with Colombo.

According to a press release issued by by the International Secretariat of LTTE in London, Prabhakaran, met the Norwegian delegation at Malawi in the northern Wanni region on Wednesday, and conveyed his viewpoint to them.

The delegation, comprising Erik Solheim, the special Norwegian envoy for Sri Lanka, Jon Westborg, the Norwegian ambassador in Colombo, Kjersti Tromsdal, an executive officer in the Norwegian foreign ministry, went to the LTTE-controlled region of Wanni on a fact-finding mission. The meeting with the LTT chief lasted two hours, and was also attended by Tamilselvan, head of the LTTE's political wing and Sankar, a senior LTTE cadre, the press release said.

Discussing the prospects for peace talks, the LTTE leaders suggested a process of de-escalation of the conflict, meaning the cessation of armed hostilities, the removal of military aggression and occupation, the withdrawal of the economic embargo and the creation of conditions of normalcy in the Tamil homeland.

Prabhakaran also insisted that the Sri Lanka government should take the initiative of relaxing the conditions of war if it wanted genuine peace.

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