LTTE offends Government peace negotiator 

[April 29, 2003 - 5.30 GMT]

Reuters reported yesterday Minister Milinda Moragoda a key Government peace negotiator is to pull out [temporarily] from the peace talks. Moragoda, the report said was offended at a LTTE claim that he had assured the Tigers they would be invited to the Washington Donor conference.

Meanwhile LTTE’s Chief negotiator Anton Balasingham speaking from London was quick in his defense of Minister Moragoda.

Mr. Balasingham told the pro LTTE TamilNet Monday, “We are well aware that the LTTE is a proscribed organization in the United States and these legal constraints precluded our attendance,” 

“Mr. Moragoda could not and certainly did not give us an assurance we would be able to participate,” Balasingham continued. 

Tamilselvan in Killinochchi also denied the press comments attributed to him and suggested misinterpretation or errors in translation of the Tamil-language interviews he had given in the past few weeks.

Last week the LTTE suspended its participation ‘for the time being’ in the negotiations citing a number of issues, including its exclusion from the Washington meeting, and the Sri Lankan Government’s failure to implement the normalization aspects of the ceasefire agreement signed in February and other agreements reached in the past six rounds of talks.

The Government was hoping to attract significant aid at the upcoming donor conference in June to help rebuild war-hit areas of the island.

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Last Updated Date: April 29, 2003  - 5.30 GMT.