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| Friday, 25 July 2003 |
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LTTE reaction encouraging - G.L. by Manjula Fernando and Rajmi Manatunga The Government is optimistic that the latest set of proposals for a provisional administration submitted to the LTTE will bear positive results given the encouraging response so far from the LTTE. Minister Prof.G.L. Peiris at the weekly Cabinet press briefing yesterday said the Government had every reason to be optimistic about the resumption of peace talks soon, to finalise the proposed structure of the provisional administration. "The document submitted to the LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi last Thursday by Jon Westborg was prepared by the facilitators based on the Government proposals," he said. He affirmed that this was the only document that was made available to the LTTE and the full text of this draft was published in a Sunday newspaper last week. The Government has endorsed the document prepared by the facilitators which according to Prof. Peiris was purely based on the Government's proposals without any deviations. "The Norwegians had elaborated on some of the suggestions by the Government so as to make them more explicit for the other party to comprehend," the Minister said. "This was the exact procedure adopted for the Ceasefire Agreement that was adhered by both parties for over 18 months uninterrupted," the Cabinet spokesman explained. He reiterated that the document was merely a basis for discussion and the final modalities for the proposed administrative structure should be reached at a direct discussion between the Government and the LTTE. Commenting on why the final draft was not shown to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Prof.Peiris said there was nothing secretive about the proposals submitted to the LTTE. "There is no issue about making the proposals available to the President. These are not matters that can be done in the dark," he added. Former Norwegian Ambassador special envoy Jon Westborg met LTTE political chief Thamilselvam in Kilinochchi to seek the Tigers' feedback for the Government's latest proposals for a proposed Provisional Administrative Council for the North-East. A LTTE spokesman earlier said a consultative committee set up by the LTTE leadership was studying the Government's proposals. He added that extensive discussions would be held in the Wanni and with London based LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham on the proposals. LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran had already consulted his theoretician Anton Balasingham on the Government's proposals. |
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