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Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger Rebels Deny Talks With Minister
Sri Lankan separatist Tamil Tiger rebels denied on Wednesday that a government minister had met and held talks with them during his pilgrimage to a rebel-held Catholic church in the north of the country on Monday.
The Tamilnet website quoted chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels Anton Balasingham as saying that Aviation Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle had merely met with the LTTE border security guards.
"Mr. Fernandopulle only met our border guards who provided security for the minister who had entered territory under our control for the purposes of pilgrimage to the Madhu shrine," Balasingham said.
"The minister appears to have misunderstood the role and capacity of the cadres whom he met during his crossing," he said.
He said that Fernandopulle has falsely raised hopes of peace with his peculiar claim of a meeting with LTTE leaders.
The Aviation Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Ferandopulle held talks with regional leaders of the LTTE who asked him to initiate a Nowegian-brokered peace process to end the country's 18-year ethnic war which has killed more than 64,000 people.
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