Anura Bandaranaike urges peace talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 December 1998, 14:18 GMT]
Mr. Anura Bandaranaike MP, the brother of the Sri Lankan President, told the government this afternoon during the committee stage debate on the appropriation bill of the foreign ministry, that it should accept the peace offer made by the leader of the Liberation Tigers. Mr.Bandaranaike is a leading parliamentary speaker of Sri Lanka's main opposition party, the UNP.

Speaking further, the President's brother said that the Liberation Tigers have close links with sections of the South African government.

The MP said that the Foreign minister Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar should submit a report to the parliament about his mission to South Africa.

He pointed out that the LTTE had no need to leave UK because the British legislation is intended to deal with the IRA and is not specifically aimed at the Tigers.

Mr. Bandaranaike said that the Liberation Tigers had links with the African National Congress from the seventies and had trained ANC militants at the time, and that the LTTE is not in need of training in South Africa today.