Sri Lankan Government, Rebels to talk in Geneva

(Full, Unedited Report from the Website of the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry)

LTTE agrees to hold talks with the government unconditionally- Defence Spokesman

The LTTE has agreed to unconditional peace talks with the government. Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella says that the Norwegian special peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer has informed the government that the LTTE has agreed to hold talks with the government between the 28th and the 30th of this month.

After arriving the Island the Norwegian special peace envoy went to Kilinochchi to present the government proposal to restart the peace talks to the LTTE. Yesterday (Wednesday the 4th of October) he informed the LTTE's stance regarding the government's proposals to the government chief representative Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Head of the Peace Secretariat Dr. Palitha Kohona.

Minister Rambukwalla further ensures that the government will make all arrangements for the talks in Geneva which will begin on the 28th.

The government has praised the LTTE's positive response to solve the national problem through negotiated settlement. The Defence Spokesman also emphasizes that the government is ready to take necessary actions when ever there is a threat from the LTTE to national security.

Meanwhile, the military sources say that although the LTTE's has expressed its readiness to hold peace talks unconditionally it has not yet stopped it terrorist activities in the Island.

Yesterday itself the LTTE made another possible genocidal attempt by planting a powerful claymore mine targeting a train at Wellawatta in Colombo. Further it has killed two Tamil civilians in Jaffna and injured three civilians and two soldiers in a claymore mine explosion.

Two more soldiers suffered injuries in another attack in which the LTTE fired at the Northern FDL.

In this backdrop the analysts continue to suspect shadowy Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has agreed to talks to buy time to give his forces the chance to regroup after being soundly defeated in the face of the Security Forces' retaliatory attacks.