Opposition seeks letters to LTTE

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 November 1999, 13:18 GMT]
The leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing an election rally yesterday, urged the President Chandrika Kumaratunge to reveal details of government's correspondence with the Liberation Tigers.

Heroes' Day ceremony in the Batticaloa district, 27.11.1999.Photo:TamilNet

Quoting the Heroes' Day message by the LTTE leader, Mr.V. Pirapaharan, in which he said that Kumaratunge was prepared to hold "secret talks" with the organisation, the UNP leader asked the president to inform the Sri Lankan public about the said correspondence with the LTTE.

The LTTE's political advisor, Mr.A.Balasingham, addressing a gathering in London on Saturday said "she (Kumaratunge) wanted us to negotiate in secrecy, without the knowledge of the world, the Sinhala people or the Tamil people," and added "this secrecy is unacceptable to us and the Tamil people".

The issue of negotiations with LTTE is a sensitive issue in the Sinhala dominated south of the island.

President Kumaratunge has denounced the UNP as "traitors," alleging that UNP was conducting talks in secret with the LTTE.

Sri Lankan State media has given widespread publicity to Wickremesinghe's comments that he would commence negotiations at the earliest opportunity with the LTTE were he to come to power in the presidential elections due on December 21.

Heroes' Day ceremony in the Batticaloa district, 27.11.1999.Photo:TamilNet

Meanwhile Acting Elections Commissioner P.B.Dassanayake said today that the government has invited observers from 15 countries to monitor the forthcoming presidential elections, scheduled for December 21.

However, he did not name the countries from where these observers have been invited, sources said.