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by Ranga Jayasuriya

A high profile consultative committee set up by the LTTE leadership had been tasked to conduct a detailed study of the Government's latest proposals for an Interim Administration for the North and East, an LTTE spokesman said.

He said "extensive" discussions will be held in the Wanni and with the London based LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham before the Tigers respond to the Government's offer for a Provisional Administrative Council for the North and East.

Former Norwegian Ambassador Jon Westborg now playing the role of a special peace envoy last Thursday flew to the Wanni with a Discussion Document for the Provisional Administrative Council structure.

The Council as proposed in the Discussion Document will comprise the members nominated by the Government including the nominees of the People's Alliance, members nominated by the LTTE and the SLMC.

The LTTE will have a majority in the Council and the Muslim and Sinhala communities will have "weighted representation".

LTTE chief Velupiilai Prabhakaran had already consulted his theoretician Anton Balasingham on the Government's proposals. However, the possibility of London based LTTE theoretician visiting the Wanni is unlikely due to his poor health, according to LTTE sources.

LTTE political chief Thamilselvam was earlier expected to fly to London for discussions on the IA proposals with Balasingham soon after they were submitted to the LTTE. However, the visit seems not to have materialised as the British Embassy in Colombo refused him a visa pointing to the LTTE's legal status in England where the Tigers have been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation.

The LTTE leadership last week set up a high profile consultative committee comprising Tamil legal experts here and abroad to advice the LTTE peace negotiators on the IA proposals and the future peace talks. Meanwhile, an AFP report quoted a Government source as saying it was expecting a positive response from the Tigers this time.

"There is no immediate outright rejection (of the proposals) as in the two previous occasions," a Government official was quoted as saying.

The Council proposed by the Government will have one or two chairpersons subject to further discussion. Any decision in the Council which affects either the Muslim or Sinhala community can be made valid if the decision is supported by a majority of the members of the Council and a majority of the Muslim or the Sinhala representatives as the case may be.

The Government also proposes that a Muslim delegation must participate in the discussions relating to the establishment of a provisional administrative structure for the Northern and Eastern Provinces; and that it should be open to the SLMC to submit separate proposal pertaining to the establishment of the structure.

The powers and functions of the Council will extend to enable the Council to participate effectively in the exercise and performance of such powers and functions as are at present being exercised and performed by the Government in respect of regional administration - except the area of police and security; land; and revenue - but including rehabilitation, reconstruction, and resettlement. The participation mentioned above shall include policy making, implementation and monitoring.

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