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+--- Thread: LTTE may refuse to negotiate with Muslim leader Hakeem (/showthread.php?tid=8183)
LTTE may refuse to negotiate with Muslim leader Hakeem - Mathivathanan - 08-30-2003
LTTE may refuse to negotiate with Muslim leader Hakeem
PK Balachanddran
Colombo, August 30
The LTTE has said that the accredited Muslim representative at the peace talks, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem, does not qualify to be a representative of the Muslims of the North and East, which is the problem area, and has hinted that it will not talk to him.
The LTTE' s political wing leader, SP Tamilchelvam, has been quoted in the Sudar Oli daily as saying in Paris that the Muslims of the North-East desire to have one of their own kind as their representative at the peace talks. Hakeem, Tamilchelvam said, did not fit the bill because he did not belong to the North-East. He has been elected from the Central province and is a resident of Colombo.
The LTTE leader then went on to blame Hakeem for the on-going Muslim-Tamil violent conflict in the Eastern districts. He said that having been rejected by the Muslims of the North-East, Hakeem might be creating these incidents only to re-establish his leadership.
The LTTE is exploiting the existing opposition from a section of the Muslims to Hakeem and the SLMC being the sole representative of the Muslims in the peace talks and other discussions with the LTTE. Muslims belonging to other political parties have asked why they should be excluded. There is the National Unity Alliance, led by Mrs Ferial Ashraff, whose husband MHM Ashraff had founded the SLMC. A substantial section of Muslims in the East owe allegiance to the United National Party (UNP), which is the leader of the ruling coalition.
However, if one looks at Tamilchelvam's Paris statement from a broader angle, it does suggest that the LTTE is moving towards accommodation of the Muslims. "It is the duty of the LTTE to protect the Muslims even as it is the duty of the Muslims to weed out those among them who are turning to violence (against the Tamils or the LTTE)," he said.
He further said that the LTTE would take up with the Sri Lankan government the cause of the Muslims." But before talking to the government, we will hold discussions with the Muslim leaders. We are firm on this matter," Tamilchelvam assured.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_356...93,00050002.htm
- Mathivathanan - 09-01-2003
Sri Lankan rebels draft proposal aimed at breaking deadlock in peace talks
Associated Press, Sun August 31, 2003 04:53 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka - 's Tamil Tiger rebels have drafted a counterproposal for a power-sharing deal with the government in an attempt to restart stalled peace talks, officials and a news report said Sunday. The adviser, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, said the proposal will be reviewed in Sri Lanka - by Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. He did not reveal details of the document.
The rebel proposal will likely demand more political power than the government has offered, an official involved in the peace process said on condition of anonymity.
The Tigers have rejected two sets of government proposals.
The Tigers' latest proposal drafted with help from Tamils living in Britain, Australia and Singapore is seen as a signal of their willingness to resume negotiations stalled since April.
The rebels abandoned the peace talks after accusing the government of not doing enough to rebuild war-ravaged territories and resettle hundreds of thousands of Tamils displaced during the country's 19-year civil war.
Nearly 65,000 people died in the Tigers' fight for a separate Tamil homeland before a Norway-brokered cease-fire was signed in February 2002. The majority of Sri Lankans are Sinhalese.
Both the Sri Lankan government and the rebels say they're confident talks can resume next month.
(AP) Sri Lanka
- Mathivathanan - 09-01-2003
* Premier calls for top-level meeting to review unrest in the East
Sunday, August 31, 2003, 7:50 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
The Premier has called all Muslim and Tamil party leaders and defence and government officials to attend the discussions.
Aug 31, Colombo: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has called a top-level meeting to discuss the overall situation in the Eastern region on September 8.
Several meetings with Tamil party leaders, Muslim leaders and security officials were held following recent unrest in the region, in which five Muslims were murdered and several others injured.
The Premier has called all Muslim and Tamil party leaders and defence and government officials to attend the discussions.
At an earlier meeting held on August 27, several decisions were taken to safeguard eastern communities.
Thanks Colombopage