Tamil Tigers pulling out of peace process: Colombo

Colombo: The Sri Lankan government's peace secretariat yesterday said it appeared that the Tamil Tigers were pulling out from a Norwegian backed peace process aimed at ending the country's 22 years old ethnic conflict through a negotiated settlement.

"It appears that the LTTE (Tamil rebels) has decided to exit from the peace process and its strategy appears to be one that aims at an ethnic backlash as a justification for opting out of the peace process," the government peace secretariat said in a statement.

The statement came as a response to a previous statement made by the rebels after the two sides failed to have face-to-face talks in Oslo on June 8 and 9 as scheduled. A rebel delegation refused to meet the government team which arrived there.

The government peace secretariat which is coordinating Sri Lanka's peace process in its statement urged the rebels to remain in the Norwegian backed peace process.

As the peace secretariat of the government it said that it was urging the LTTE "to re-enter negotiations with the government of Sri Lanka, either directly or through the good offices of the Norwegian facilitator".

However, the peace secretariat dismissed claims by the LTTE that it has a de facto state exercising jurisdiction over 70 per cent of what it calls the "Tamil Homeland" in the north and eastern parts of the country and has its own laws, independent judiciary, police force and full administrative apparatus in areas which it controls.

The government statement said that the north and eastern provinces are multi-ethnic and neither the Sri Lankan government nor the international community recognises the rebel administration and the government's administration is operative in the rebel held areas through government appointed offices in those areas.

The statement also dismissed rebel claims that it has a "modern defence force".

"As regards its claim to have a 'modern defence force', the most recent claymore mine attack by the LTTE on a civilian bus is not modern. It is despicably barbaric," the statement said.