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Hindu Religious Affairs Minister T. Maheswaran who met President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Tuesday to discuss the many problems affecting the people in the North East states that the President informed him that she is willing to have the displaced people settled in the High Security Zones in the North and East other than in the Palali area.

According to Minister Maheswaran, she is further said to have stated that she is at all times prepared to discuss with the LTTE leadership the means of finding peaceful solutions to the problems faced by the people of the North East and that she does not consider the LTTE or its leader Prabhakaran as her personal enemies.

She also expressed her willingness to grant a common amnesty to the 39 detainees in the Kalutara Prison who are suspected as LTTE activists and render her utmost cooperation to redress their grievances though they are ruled by the Attorney General as unbailable detainees.

She is also reported to have stated that her party's stance in this regard will stand unchanged whether they merge with the JVP or not and stressed the need to initiate talks without delay to solve the problems of the Tamil people.

Minister Maheswaran, before meeting the President is reported to have had a lengthy discussion with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the 27th. In view of these discussions the issues pertaining to the High Security Zones in the North are likely to take different turn, according to informed sources.

The discussions with the President also centred round a political solution to the North East problem, resettlement of displaced persons and the release of Tamil prisoners.

Minister Maheswaran also briefed the President about the decisions taken at the recently concluded 2nd World Hindu Conference in Colombo. A report containing the resolutions passed at the conference, other publications pertaining to the conference as well as the conference logo were also presented to the President by the Minister during this meeting.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Secretariat Media Unit in a press release stated yesterday that when Minister Maheswaran inquired from her about having discussions with the LTTE, she responded by saying that on principle she is agreeable for a discussion in the interests of the country. She has further reiterated that her principle of commitment towards peace has never changed to date right from the beginning.

It also states that she did not in any way authorise Minister Maheswaran at this stage to act as an intermediary for negotiations with the LTTE.

As mentioned in the Presidential Communique of May 28, the subjects that were discussed with Maheswaran were only concerned with problems affecting the Tamil people. The subject of development problems of the North and East, the issue of re-settlement of displaced persons and matters relating to the release of Tamil detainees in Prison were among the other matters that were discussed, states the Presidential Media Release.

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