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The lifting of government's ban on the LTTE two days prior to the scheduled date of September 6 has set the stage for peace talks in Thailand to begin on September 16.

The National Peace Council (NPC) in a release said it sees the government's action of lifting the ban as evidence of its determination to take the peace process forward.

This action took place despite opposition from sections of the polity, including the President. We are glad that the Presidential spokesman has said that the decision to lift the ban on the LTTE will not, however, affect the possible cohabitation between the President and Prime Minister. The support of the President will be important to the sustenance of the peace process in the future, the release said.

With the lifting of the ban a new phase of the peace process has commenced in which the LTTE will be considered a legitimate organisation. A major responsibility now devolves upon the LTTE to demonstrate its capacity to act and behave in a democratic manner and to ensure that the peace process moves forward without any break. The LTTE will need to continue with the task of converting itself from being primarily a military organisation to a political one in which the democratic rights of the people will be respected, the release said.

It added: "In keeping with the spirit of the peace process, the National Peace Council calls on the government and LTTE to commit themselves to negotiations when dealing with problems that could arise in the future utilising the services of the Norwegian facilitators. The experience of peace processes worldwide is that there are setbacks along the way. With recent incidents in mind, the NPC sees a priority need for the development of an effective early warning and response system. The government and LTTE should be careful not to permit an environment to develop in which the people are dragged into confrontational situations as recently occurred in Point Pedro and earlier in Muttur and Valaichchenai."

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