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Ban stands in the way of India's hosting Lanka talks
Roy Mendis in Colombo,
6.01 AM SLT,Tuesday January 15,2002 .
Even as the LTTE made a formal request to India to host the peace talks
with the Sri Lankan government,India let it be known that it could not be a
host to talks with a group which it had banned.
A top Indian government official told Lanka Academic Newspaper that it was
reasonable to assume that India would not play host when the LTTE was a
banned organisation in that country.The Indian Establishment continues to
consider the LTTE as a terrorist organisation and is of the strong view
that it should not be given any quarter in India.
India had banned the LTTE in 1992 and the ban had been extended
periodically on the grounds that the LTTE continued to be a threat to
India's security.Clearly,nothing has happened to change this perception now.
It is ironic that the issue of the Indian ban is standing in the way when
the LTTE is trying to get the ban lifted by having India host the talks.
But hard nuts as they are,the Liberation Tigers are not going to give up
easily.Their Chief Negotiator Dr.Anton Balasingham told the Colombo-based
Tamil daily "Sudar Oli" today that the talks could not take place anywhere
other than India.""There is no possibility of the talks being held anywhere
else," he said.
"From nowhere else can we keep in close touch with our leader Prabhakaran
(who is in the jungles of Wanni in north Sri Lanka).There will be a problem
of access even if we operate from London,Oslo or Paris," he argued.
"Secondly,I have to participate in the talks and I can participate only if
I am alive.This is a humanitarian issue.But without understanding this some
political parties and leaders in India have politicised and confused the
issue," Dr.Balasingham complained.Dr.Balasingham is a bad diabetic with a
kidney ailment to boot.
Giving a bait to India,knowing the latter's wish to have a role in the Sri
Lankan peace process,Dr.Balasingham said that the status of host would give
India an opportunity to directly participate in the peace process.He had
earlier said that India could be an observer at the talks to know the
goings-on first hand.
Published: Mon Jan 14 18:57:34 EST 2002
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