The Ceylon News

Claiming that the LTTE has lost its control over most of the territory in north, Sri Lankan government on Thursday said the defeat of Tamil Tigers is now "imminent."

"It is apparent that the LTTE are now at the imminent brink of defeat," Defence spokesman and Minister for Foreign Employment Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters.

Rambukwella said the LTTE rebels have been restricted to 21 sq kms out of which 20 sq kms is a government-declared safe zone.

In the mid-1990s, the rebels controlled more than two-thirds of the island's coastline and one third of the total land mass.

Accusing the LTTE of using the "safe zone" to launch attacks on government forces, Rambukwella said the Tamil Tigers are using the civilians as a shield and are carrying out atrocities on them.

He said the fighting was now moving into a phase of intense close-quarters combat.

Meanwhile, four top LTTE commanders were among 30 rebels killed yesterday when Sri Lankan troops repulsed a massive Tamil Tiger attack in Pudukudiyirippu, the last town held by them in the embattled north.

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 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.

Chennai, March 25: India will "wait and see what steps are actually taken" by Sri Lankan government to implement a power devolution package that would fully satisfy the island's Tamils in view of President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently expressing his commitment in this regard.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a reply to a letter by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the Lankan Tamils issue, noted that Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa had said that steps to work out a devolution package were being initiated immediately.

"We may wait and see what steps are actually taken," he said.

Singh said during discussions with Sri Lanka, India had consistently proposed a temporary cessation of hostilities which could be utilised to facilitate movement of the Tamil population out of war zone to safety areas and proper rehabilitation facilities could be arranged.

India had urged the Sri Lankan Government to fulfil its commitments to the Tamil population in Sri Lanka and come up with a proper devolution of powers to the provinces in that country, the Prime Minister said.

"We have indicated that this should also include assurances of equality and equal rights for Tamils, as is the case for other citizens of Sri Lanka," he said in the letter, a copy of which was released to media by the Tamil Nadu government today.