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| Saturday, 14 February 2004 |
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We are ready to talk to any government that is elected at the forthcoming general election in this country. We will not abandon the peace talks at any cost. We wish that those who understand and accept the aspirations of Tamil people become leaders of this country, said 'Colonel' V. Karuna, LTTE Leader of the East. Karuna was reported to have made this observation following a meeting between SLMM Chief Maj. Gen. Trond Furuhovde and Karuna on Tuesday at Karadiyanaru in the LTTE controlled Wanni area. He further said the discussion with the SLMM Chief centred on abiding by the ceasefire agreement and maintaining a mutual relationship between the LTTE and Army. "When the SLMM Chief requested to continue the meetings held in the past between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army, we agreed and pledged to strictly abide by the ceasefire agreement," he said. "The decision to dissolve Parliament and to hold elections in April did not surprise us. It was something that we expected. We will talk to any government in power that realises the depth of our struggle and wishes to initiate talks." As far as East is concerned there will not be any obstruction to the election. There has to be a free and fair election and we will not hinder that, he added. "Tamil peoples' struggle for equal rights is strong, ardent and prolonged. The leaders in the South should realise that and act accordingly. A shared understanding and cooperation will bring an easy solution to this problem. Our struggle has drawn strong international attention. So we do not approve the proposals by some chauvinists and other parties like JVP to exclude third party mediation. It is a known fact that a third party mediation is inevitable for this peace process. So removal of a third party mediation will cause future problems," Karuna told the media. We have handed over our proposals in detail regarding our rights and plans for an interim administration to the government. Any government that comes to power should scrutinise it carefully. If Tamils are not provided with their rights we will be compelled to get them by force, he commented. "Dissolution has brought shock and dissatisfaction to the Tamil people who desired peace. However we wish to continue with the peace process and we have expressed that on many occasions. At the same time we will patiently and silently observe the ceasefire agreement. The government that comes to power after the election should realise this problem and find a solution through talks." "The former government was too volatile and that was the cause of the present situation. We feel a strong government will easily find a solution to this problem," he said. |
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