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by Rajmi Manatunga

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga yesterday urged the Government to call upon the LTTE to disband its Black Tiger unit which carries out suicide bombings.

Presidential Spokesman Harim Peiris told the media yesterday that the President has made this request in the context of the demobilisation of the Sri Lanka Army's Deep Penetration unit through the Police using the Athurugiriya incident.

He said that the President believed there should be reciprocity on the part of the LTTE to decommission its suicide unit which has claimed hundreds of lives, at times of war, instead of marching them up and down rebel ceremonies.

Commenting on the issue of High Security Zones, Peiris denied speculation that Major General Sarath Fonseka's letter to the LTTE contained the opinion of the President on the matter and said that the President's stance on the 'contentious' issue will not be made public since the Government has already taken a decision on the zones.

"Firstly, the President's position was never made public. When the issue of High Security Zones came up, the military got involved and forwarded proposals to the Government. The Commanders discussed the matter with the President as the Commander In Chief but that was an essentially confidential discussion and we hope it remained confidential on the part of the Commanders as well. All the analyses with regard to the Presidents's position, being included in the letter, have no basis of fact whatsoever," he said.

Referring to the LTTE's request at the peace talks to transfer Major General Fonseka, Peiris said that it was a strange request to be made in a peace process where mutual respect is required. "Though the President as the Commander In Chief has authority over such a transfer of an officer, that kind of administrative action is in the hands of the Defence Minister. Therefore, the President will withhold comment until the Minister gives her a complete report on it," he said.

On the controversy over the high-tech radio equipment provided to the LTTE, the Presidential Spokesman said that such a proposal was not presented to neither the President nor to the Cabinet through a cabinet paper.

Peiris also said that the President will not comment on the developments at the current round of Thailand peace talks until she is formally briefed by the Government on it which is likely to take place when Minister Milinda Moragoda returns to the country.

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