You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Sri Lanka
Tamil Tigers agree to unconditional talks with Sri Lankan government
2006-10-03
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday agreed to unconditional talks with the government, but warned they will pull out of a 2002 cease-fire if the government persists with its military campaign, a spokesman said. "We have said that we are ready for talks. We have not placed any conditions and neither has the government," rebel spokesman, Daya Master, told The Associated Press.
Nothing sez you're getting your asses kicked like agreeing to unconditional talks
He was speaking after Norway's peace envoy, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, met with the head of the rebels' political wing, Suppiah Thamilselvan, to press for an end to months of recent bloodshed and a return to talks, suspended since February. "But Mr. Thamilselvan said one thing, that we will totally pull out of the cease-fire if the government continues to attack us," Master said.

The Norway-brokered cease-fire temporarily ended Sri Lanka's 19-year civil war between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who want to carve out a separate homeland for the country's ethnic Tamils. About 65,000 people were killed in the conflict before the truce. Renewed fighting since late July, however, has left at least 1,000 combatants and civilians dead.
Think of how bad it could be without a ceasefire in place
No date for the talks was announced, although the government's national security spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, earlier said the government has suggested Oct. 30 or Nov. 10 as possible dates.

The government was to hold a press conference later Tuesday to discuss the talks, officials said. The government had previously said it wants a personal commitment from the rebels' reclusive leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, to end all violence before any talks. Tuesday's meeting was part of Hanssen-Bauer's stepped up diplomatic efforts to restart peace talks. Following the peace talks in Geneva in February, a second round slated for April was canceled after each side blamed the other for rising violence.

On Monday, Hanssen-Bauer held separate meetings with top government negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Palitha Kohona, chief of the government's peace secretariat, officials said.

Meanwhile, a rebel Web site said air force fighter jets bombed rebel-held areas 20 kilometers (32 miles) away from where the talks were taking place. "This morning, they (rebels) were firing artillery toward our forces in the northern peninsula and the air force attacked three identified rebel artillery positions to neutralize their attack," military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Tamil Tigers attacked a police camp in Murunkan in northern Vavuniya district, prompting police to retaliate, Samarasinghe said , adding that the insurgents were armed with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
Police did not suffer any casualties, but they later recovered the body of one rebel, he said.
Posted by:Steve

#2  I have this mental image of the King's Barge meeting Anna in "Anna and the King of Siam" (The King and I)
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-10-03 19:23  

#1  You see, the mighty Sri Lankan Navy has forced the rebels to the negotiating table.
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2006-10-03 12:12  

00:00