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Head of the Government delegation to the Geneva talks Minister Nimal Siripala described the recently concluded Geneva talks as cordial and as a way forward in the overall Peace Process. He said this was despite certain disagreements between the Government and the LTTE. The Minister was speaking at a media briefing at the Presidential Secretariat, to convey the outcome of the talks. “The discussions per se were held in a very conducive environment and we exchanged our views very freely. While the Government was more concerned on political pluralism, democracy and a political settlement to the conflict, the LTTE raised humanitarian issues such as the food shortages in Jaffna and the re-opening of the A9 Highway in Jaffna,” said the Minister. The Minister said the closure was made inevitable by the LTTE itself and that it had to be closed due to national security concerns. He said the LTTE had collected their illegal taxes, collected ransoms and transported their military cadres and arms and ammunition, across this checkpoint. Minister de Silva said the Government could not compromise national security simply to set a date for discussion, but said the Government’s endeavour too was to re-open the checkpoint as soon as possible. The Minister said issues such as the Southern consensus, the strengthening of the SLMM and the non-violation of the CFA, which the LTTE had vouched to uphold, were also discussed. He said the LTTE had only made a reference in passing the recent court ruling on the ‘de-merger’.
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