LTTE urges legislators to put pressure on Colombo

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have urged Tamil parliamentarians to carry out a campaign among Colombo-based diplomats to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to expedite implementation of the cease-fire agreement.

The guerrillas conveyed this when a group of Parliamentarians belonging to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the four party alliance, met the LTTE's Political Wing chief, S.P. Thamil Chelvam, in the guerrilla held area of Kilinochchi.

The meeting was the third between the Tamil legislators and the LTTE since the cease-fire agreement came into effect.

During the four-hour meeting, Thamil Chelvam requested the Tamil parliamentarians to visit the diplomatic missions and inform them about the areas of the cease-fire agreement which need to be implemented.

Despite the government implementing a major share of the agreement the LTTE expressed dissatisfaction about the speed of the implementation saying that there were more areas of the agreement which need to be fulfilled.

One of the areas which was discussed in detail was the withdrawal of security forces from the schools and places of religious worship. But the government was not allowing the people to return to these areas as they were located in high security zones close to military establishments.

The LTTE representative and the TNA MPs also discussed in detail about both their members working in closer co-operation in the north and eastern provinces.

The LTTE's move to get the TNA members to carry out a campaign among diplomats was seen as an act that would give an impression to the international community that the government was slow in implementing the cease-fire agreement and thereby delay opening direct talks with Sri Lankan government.

The LTTE has already delayed giving dates for talks, despite the government wanting to start early negotiations.

The talks were first set to start in June or July and thereafter there were indications that it would commence in August, but now it is unlikely that the talks will even commence next month.LTTE urges legislators to put pressure on Colombo

By Sinha Ratnatunga
Colombo
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have urged Tamil parliamentarians to carry out a campaign among Colombo-based diplomats to put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to expedite implementation of the cease-fire agreement.

The guerrillas conveyed this when a group of Parliamentarians belonging to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the four party alliance, met the LTTE's Political Wing chief, S.P. Thamil Chelvam, in the guerrilla held area of Kilinochchi.

The meeting was the third between the Tamil legislators and the LTTE since the cease-fire agreement came into effect.

During the four-hour meeting, Thamil Chelvam requested the Tamil parliamentarians to visit the diplomatic missions and inform them about the areas of the cease-fire agreement which need to be implemented.

Despite the government implementing a major share of the agreement the LTTE expressed dissatisfaction about the speed of the implementation saying that there were more areas of the agreement which need to be fulfilled.

One of the areas which was discussed in detail was the withdrawal of security forces from the schools and places of religious worship. But the government was not allowing the people to return to these areas as they were located in high security zones close to military establishments.

The LTTE representative and the TNA MPs also discussed in detail about both their members working in closer co-operation in the north and eastern provinces.

The LTTE's move to get the TNA members to carry out a campaign among diplomats was seen as an act that would give an impression to the international community that the government was slow in implementing the cease-fire agreement and thereby delay opening direct talks with Sri Lankan government.

The LTTE has already delayed giving dates for talks, despite the government wanting to start early negotiations.

The talks were first set to start in June or July and thereafter there were indications that it would commence in August, but now it is unlikely that the talks will even commence next month.