Colombo, March 26: Hours before President Mahinda Rajapaksa holds parleys with Tamil and Muslim outfits on the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka, a pro-LTTE party today said it will abstain from the meet as it is not ready for talks before the government halts the military offensive in the north.The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), at the same time, asserted it would not "condone" the LTTE rebels if they have indulged in killing of Tamil civilians.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), at the same time, asserted it would not "condone" the LTTE rebels if they have indulged in killing of Tamil civilians.The LTTE remnants are boxed in a small patch of land in the north with the Lankan troops fighting to flush them out. Thousands of Tamil civilians are trapped in the war zone.
"The government will have to halt all the military operations in (northern) Wanni before we agree for a meeting with the Sri Lankan President," TNA parliamentary leader R Sambanthan told reporters.
Asked whether the LTTE was involved in killing of Tamil civilians, Sambanthan said his party will not "condone" it if the Tiger rebels have resorted to such acts.
Sambanthan said future talks with Rajapaksa would also be subject to the government ensuring "adequate" supply of food and medicines to the displaced Tamils and allowing UN, the Red Cross and NGOs to freely take part in humanitarian operations.
There was no immediate word on whether the scheduled meeting will be cancelled following the pro-LTTE party's decision to abstain.
0 comments:
Post a Comment