Tiger 'feeler' stirs controversy

A 'feeler' by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group to hold proposed peace talks with the Sri Lankan government in neighbouring India has created a major controversy, according to reports reaching here.

The LTTE is said to have asked third-party facilitators Norway to explore the availability of Indian soil as the venue for the talks between the rebel group and the Colombo government.

No official confirmation of the request has yet been made public, but an article published in the Chennai-based The Hindu newspaper from one of their Sri Lankan-Tamil overseas contributors known to be close to LTTE's chief negotiator Anton Balasingham saying so has attracted sharp criticism, including an editorial from the same newspaper.

According to the newspaper, the LTTE has asked Norwegian diplomats, engaged in bringing the two sides together, for India to be the venue for the peace process to start.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian delegation, which met Balasingham, is due in Colombo tonight for talks with the Sri Lankan government.

The team members are scheduled to meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and Constitutional Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris to discuss ways and means for proceeding with the peace talks.

Reuters adds: Sri Lanka hopes a recent truce and plans to lift an economic embargo will enable talks with Tamil Tigers to focus on the key rebel demand of a separate state, the country's new foreign minister said yesterday.

But the new government does not favour a separate state for the LTTE, Tyronne Fernando said.

The two sides have been edging closer to talks since last month's election of the pro-peace United National Party (UNP), followed closely by matching ceasefires and a government announcement that it would lift a crippling embargo on rebel areas from next week.

The moves will help meet some of the grievances of the Tamil people living in the north and east of the country and also should help lessen demands for a separate state, Fernando said.

"I think we have come a long way, but of course the core issue is ultimately what is the alternative to eelam (a separate state)?" Fernando said in an interview.

"Their solution to the grievances is a separate state, so we have to offer something that will settle their grievances other than through a separate state."

"They have to give up the call for a separate state and settle on something else," he said.