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Air Force refuses to fly DPLs to Wanni
By Dilmini Samaranayake
A top diplomatic delegation comprising the peace process co-chairs, who rushed to hold emergency talks with the LTTE leadership yesterday, failed to make a breakthrough during the 2½ hour talks in rebel-held Kilinochchi but stressed the need for both the Sri Lankan government and the Tigers to meet at the earliest to prevent the country from sliding back to war.

The delegation comprising representatives from Britain, Japan and the European Union were accompanied by peace broker Norway to meet the LTTE's political chief S.P. Thamilselvan. The United States which is a part of the quartet did not send a representative to Kilinochchi as such travel is prohibited following the U.S.

ban on the Tigers. The co-chairs had "expressed their deep concern about the recent escalation of violence," an European Union statement said, after the meeting.

"Sri Lanka faces a crucial choice today between mounting violence and reinvigorating peace. The Sri Lankan people clearly want peace -- it would be a tragic step backward if their desire was not heeded," the strongly worded statement said.

The Co-chairs had also stressed the need for the LTTE to agree to hold talks with the government on implementing the ceasefire. The Sunday Times learns that the diplomats had expressed their condemnation about the surge of violence but the Tigers had totally denied involvement in the attacks including the one that killed 13 sailors on Friday.

Mr. Thamilselvan had blamed the attacks on "civilian organizations," that were harassed and perturbed by the security forces. He had promised to speak to "sympathizers," in an attempt to defuse the situation. The straight-faced political chief had also said the Tigers were committed to the truce.

Also at the meeting, Japan’s ambassador Akio Suda had reiterated an invitation to hold truce talks in Tokyo, but the Tigers insisted on a European destination, preferably Oslo.

"The Tamil leadership is firm and will oppose Colombo's effort on imposing geographical limitations and preconditions on the venue of talks on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and thereby alienating the Liberation Tigers from European countries," Mr. Thamilselvan told the media after the meeting. On their return to Colombo, the diplomats went straight into a meeting with top government officials handling the peace process to brief them on the outcome. Yesterday marked four-years since the unilateral truce declared by the LTTE on December 2004, 2001.

This month has clearly been the bloodiest with at least 20 soldiers, 15 sailors and three policemen killed in suspected rebel attacks. The government had earlier conveyed its displeasure for diplomats to visit the northern rebel stronghold but reversed its decision after a meeting on Friday between the co-chairs and Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremenayake, hours after suspected Tamil Tigers blew up a navy convoy. The diplomats said their leaders wanted them to meet the LTTE to convey in the strongest possible manner their concern about the deteriorating situation that threatens to unravel Sri Lanka’s fragile truce.

But security forces commanders had expressed reservations about flying the delegation into rebel-controlled territory. So they were transported by air force helicopter to Vavuniya and had to make the difficult road trip in the SLMM vehicle to Kilinochchi.

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