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The Government is prepared to de-escalate the military conflict while talks with the LTTE go on, but any withdrawal of troops will not take place until a completely viable politically negotiated settlement is fully implemented, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said on Monday (18). Addressing a large gathering of intellectuals at the Sciences Po institute, University of Paris, on 'South Asia in international relations' President Kumaratunga said: "Now we have a third party facilitator in Norway. The LTTE has still not come for talks. They may be willing to discuss but we do not still know their conditions. We are inviting them unconditionally. We do not know their new conditions, but we will not pull out troops from the North". The President said: "We have given priority for ending the war. We have done so since coming to power. We invited the LTTE to come for talks within nine days of coming to power. We talked for eight months and fulfilled many of their requests. But they built up during that period and began military action again unilaterally. "There have been three rounds of talks with the LTTE - two times by the last UNP Government and once by us - which failed miserably. This time we are cautious and careful, because they simply built themselves up during peace talks. I hate violence and am deeply committed to democracy. So this violence cannot go on forever. "As for the LTTE's willingness to talk at this stage, the Tamil people have got tired of war and violence. This may have compelled the LTTE to seek talks. They have lost 2,700 cadres this year alone. They may be feeling that this cannot go on. All this may have forced the LTTE to seek talks. "There has been no positive response from the LTTE. We do not believe that negotiating with the LTTE is the only way out. Even if the war comes to an end, the problems faced by the Tamil people have to be solved. We have proposed extensive devolution of power through the new Constitution. We have demonstrated our political commitment over and over again. We are committed to implement this solution. "This Government had the courage to tell the people that there are problems for the minorities. We have proposed the devolution of power as a solution. The majority of people have given their resounding approval for this programme at successive elections. We have the strength and the mandate of the people to go ahead with it. "We do not have a two-thirds majority in Parliament due to a bizarre electoral system. But we are trying other ways of bringing the new Constitution even without the two-thirds majority. We will bring it soon in the New Year. This mechanism may not strictly be in keeping with the present Constitution, but it is not illegal. It is a simple majority referendum and then the proclamation of the new constitution by the President. The President said the Government has informed foreign governments of LTTE activities on their soil including drug trafficking, human smuggling and fund raising. The response has been very positive. The US has listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, Canada is very strict on their activities and the UK will bring in anti-terrorism legislation. There is an on-going dialogue with French leaders on this. "The LTTE terrorises the Tamil diaspora in Western countries. For example, an 11-year-old Tamil was killed by the Tigers in France because her mother refused to pay them 10 dollars extortion money. So all Western Governments are aware of this. We want to see more action against LTTE operations in Western nations." The President also elaborated on the role of SAARC in the international arena and its present developments. She said SAARC could play a bigger role on the world stage. She also dwelt on the Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement and bilateral relations with South Asian countries. Her address was well received by the audience.
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