False news item on nitharsanam.com

[February 14, 2006 - 9.00 GMT]

The attention of the Presidential Secretariat has been drawn to a news item carried in the pro-LTTE Tamil website “nitharsanam.com” on the evening of February 13, 2006, referring to an interview given by H. E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Reuters News Agency the same day.

The headline to this news items makes a totally false statement that President Rajapaksa had said: “No motherland for Tamils in Sri Lanka”.

The President has at no stage said nor is he of the view that there is no motherland for Tamils in Sri Lanka. What the President stated, as correctly reported by Reuters, is that there was no room for a separate homeland in the island’s North and East. The President said: “There is only one country. We can share power. Not a separate state.” This has always been the position of the President.

The relevant report of “nitharshanam.com” also states that: “Mahinda considers the peace talks as a gap to strengthen military powers”, quoting unnamed Temple Trees sources. This is a completely false and baseless report, and is not part of the interview with Reuters. The President has at no stage considered the purpose of the peace talks as a gap to strengthen military power. He looks forward to the talks to reach agreement to halt escalating violence and killings.

The attempt to undermine the upcoming negotiations by such deliberately false and mischievous reporting is regretted.

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Last Updated Date: February 14, 2006 - 9.00 GMT