Sri Lankan Opposition Cuations Against Lifting Ban on Tamil Rebels

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 24, 2002

Sri Lankan Opposition Cuations Against Lifting Ban on Tamil Rebels

Sri Lanka's main opposition People's Alliance (PA) party on Wednesday cautioned Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe against hasty lifting of the ban on separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

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Sri Lanka's main opposition People's Alliance (PA) party on Wednesday cautioned Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe against hasty lifting of the ban on separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

"On the question of de-proscribing the LTTE, any precipitate action should be avoided, and the government should bear in mind international practice in the face of impending talks with banned organizations," former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar told Parliament while responding to Wickremeshinghe's policy statement made the previous day.

He expressed the support of the PA led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, which is in opposition in Parliament,to Wickremesinghe's government for its efforts made so far to push for early talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

He agreed that the LTTE was under international pressure to renounce terrorism and give up separatism after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

He said that talks between the government and the LTTE rebels should be conducted within a specified time frame while the anti-terrorism atmosphere prevails.

He wanted the government to ensure that a permanent,mutually agreed ceasefire agreement between the two sides should allow the navy to interdict LTTE's arms shipment and the air force to assistin such operations.

He said the agreement should also include a monitoring mechanism and prohibition on assassinations and attacks on civilian targets.

Both the government and the Tamil rebels are observing their unilateral ceasefire which is to be extended till February 24.

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