Tigers lambast Kumaratunge's political duplicity

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 June 2004, 02:56 GMT]
Blaming Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge for "linking ISGA with permanent poltical solution," as a "manipulative strategy to take forward the peace process for a while and then to abort it," the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam called upon the International community to recognize Ms.Kumaratunge's political duplicity and to "bring pressure on her government to be principled and honest in political negotiations," in a statement published in the Peace Secretariat website.

Earlier, accepting the Liberation Tigers as the sole representative of Tamils, accepting the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and to use the ISGA as the basis for discussions, the Tigers said, Ms.Kumaratunge raised hopes for resumption of peace talks.

But her new condition that "discussions on core issues should go parallel to [discussions on] interim administration," has derailed any hopes, the LTTE said.

The minority UPFA government faces dissolution any time and such unstable political environment is unsuitable for discussing serious matters related to "Tamil homeland, Tamil nationalism and Tamil self-rule," the LTTE argued. Further, the UPFA government is "not even prepared to bring in place an interim administration that will facilitate normal life, development and meet urgent humanitarian needs," as the government faces "opposition and threats in the South of Sri Lanka," the LTTE said.

The LTTE also accused security forces for the recent spate of killings in the East. The LTTE warned that foundation of peace laid during the last three years would crumble if the peace process is not advanced gradually and if the Sri Lanka government insists on discussing complex issues during early stages.

The LTTE added that the donor countries must take urgent and appropriate action if the situation is to be prevented from deteriorating further, the website further said.