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The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) yesterday cleared the air over a remark attributed Government Negotiator and Minister Milinda Moragoda on the Washington donor parley.

LTTE Chief Negotiator Anton Balasingham denied that Moragoda had given an assurance that they would be able to attend the international aid conference in Washington on April 14 as quoted in weekend press reports.

Balasingham called the Minister personally on Monday night on the misunderstanding and invited him to continue to take part as a Government negotiator in the peace talks.

It was reported that Moragoda had decided to temporarily withdraw from the peace talks until the Tigers clarified press reports which implied he had given an assurance to the LTTE on its participation at the Washington aid conference.

Balasingham told pro-LTTE website TamilNet that the organisation was unable to attend the meeting as it is proscribed in the United States and reports suggesting Moragoda had given assurances otherwise were incorrect.

"We are well aware that the LTTE is a proscribed organisation in the United States and these legal constraints precluded our attendance," Balasingham told TamilNet. "Moragoda could not and certainly did not give us an assurance we would be able to participate," he said.

"We regret Moragoda has been offended by this misunderstanding, as his contributions to furthering the peace process are invaluable," Balasingham added. "We have found him to be a person of impeccable integrity and have been able to resolve many complex and difficult issues with his creative participation." Weekend press reports had quoted S. P. Tamilselvan, head of the LTTE's Political Wing as saying Moragoda had promised the LTTE that it would be able to attend the Washington meeting.

Tamilselvan also denied the press comments attributed to him and suggested misinterpretation or errors in translation of the Tamil-language interviews he had given in the past few weeks. Last week the LTTE suspended its participation 'for the time being' in the negotiations citing several issues, including its exclusion from the Washington meeting.

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