LTTE ready for talks if Lankan govt halts attacks

COLOMBO, Mar 16 (Agencies): The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka have expressed readiness to hold talks with the government here if it halted the military operations against them, but warned that the offer should not be seen as "any desperation" on their part to stop the war.

"The LTTE is prepared to commence negotiations with the Sri Lankan government if the government security forces are ordered to halt their military operations.

It was the government which started the war," the LTTE political head P Nadesan told a group of Parliamentarians from the pro-rebel Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Wanni recently.

"The offer of the LTTE for a ceasefire and talks should not be construed as any desperation on our (LTTE) part to stop the war.

The ball is in the Sri Lankan government's court.

It was they who started the armed attack," Nadesan was quoted as saying by Suresh Premachandran, a TNA MP from Jaffna District who was present at the meeting.

Nadesan had held lengthy discussions with the 13 TNA MPs who had gathered for the funeral of their colleague K Sivanesan, who was killed in a roadside bomb attack on March 6 in Wanni.

"The (LTTE) political chief Nadesan said the LTTE can reciprocate if the Sri Lankan government offers a ceasefire but if they want to continue with the attack, the LTTE is fully prepared for it," Premachandran told Though LTTE Supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran was present to pay his respects to Sivanesan, he did not participate in the meeting, the TNA MP said.

He quoted Nadesan as saying that the LTTE was prepared for a dialogue using Norwegian facilitation provided the government agreed to stop the war and enter negotiations.

The LTTE political head said the outfit was only fighting "a defensive war" and that the international community should be aware of its commitment to a negotiated settlement, according to Premchandran.

The TNA MP said the LTTE was also "disturbed" by the recent visit to India by Sri Lankan Army Chief Sarath Fonseka.

"The LTTE has doubts that Indian government is considering supplying arms to the Sri Lankan government to fight them (the outfit) in the light of this visit," he said.

The LTTE, in a statement issued last week, had termed as "historic blunder" India's invitation to the Sri Lankan Army Chief for a visit.

It said the "encouragement to the military approach" would only intensify the "genocide of Tamils."