Sri Lankan Govt Sends Interim Power Proposals to Tamil Rebels

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 17, 2003

Sri Lankan Govt Sends Interim Power Proposals to Tamil Rebels

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The Sri Lankan government has forwarded its proposals for the establishment of an interim administration in the north and east to the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, a government spokesman said Thursday.

"Norwegian special envoy Jon Westborg left this morning (to therebel-held area in the north) with government proposals for a provisional administrative structure," said Constitutional AffairsMinister G.L. Peiris, who is also the top government negotiator inthe peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

The LTTE has demanded the setting up of an interim administration for the war-battered north and east if they are to resume peace negotiations with the government.

After six rounds of direct talks since last September, the LTTErebels on April 21 announced a temporary pullout from the Norwegian-brokered peace process, accusing the government of doinglittle to implement decisions reached at these talks.

After a major international donor conference held in Tokyo on June 9-10, the LTTE went a further step by putting forward their interim council demand.

They charged that the government bureaucracy was lacking in efficiency to fully utilize the bulk of 4.5 billion dollar assistance received at Tokyo donor conference and pressed for politico-administrative powers for themselves by setting up the interim administration in the north and east.

Peiris said the government was sending "a concrete set of proposals" which should form the basis for discussion with the LTTE.

"This is a definite basis for the parties to sit together," Peiris said, adding that changes to the format could be considered.

More than 64,000 people have been killed in Sri Lanka's long running ethnic war since 1983.

The LTTE had been fighting government troops to set up a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east until the two sides entered the ongoing ceasefire in February 2002.

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