New SLMM Head meets Elilan in Sampoor
[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 March 2006, 17:39 GMT]
Swedish Brigadier, Ulf Henricsson, who is to assume duties on 1st April as the new head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), met with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head for the first time Saturday evening, sources in Trincomalee said. The discussions centered on the current ceasefire agreement, Geneva peace talks and future activities related to peace process, sources said.
 Ulf Henricsson and Elilan.
 Meeting between SLMM officials and Elilan at Sampoor LTTE political secretaritiat.
 Mr.Elilan hands over to the new SLMM head a report on the ceasefire violations by the Sri Lankan government troops.
 Mr.Elilan hands over two underage boys who had come to join the LTTE to their parents in the presence of SLMM.
The discussion began Saturday evening around 5 p.m. at the LTTE Trincomalee district political secretariat concluded at about 6 p.m. Mr.Ove Jansen, Trincomalee head of the SLMM and a Sea Monitor also participated in the discussion, sources said. Mr.Elilan handed over to the new SLMM head a report on the ceasefire violations by the government armed forces since the conclusion of first round of Geneva peace talks. The report gave details of twenty-five ceasefire violations by the Sri Lanka government security forces, sources said. Mr.Elilan during the discussion pointed out the speech by the SLA Commander Sarath Fonseka where he mentions that he considers the LTTE as a terrorist group. Mr.Elilan told the SLMM head that such public expressions which reveal the mindset of one of the negotiating partner are some of the key reasons for the lack of progress in the peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. Mr.Elilan brought to the notice of the SLMM new head the attack by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on the coastal villages of the LTTE controlled Muttur east recently injuring several civilians and causing damages to their houses. Mr.Elilan added that tsunami rehabilitation workers had to lie on the ground to save their lives from the naval attack on March 20 and 21. Mr.Elilan said talks between him and the SLMM new head were cordial and constructive.
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