Kumaratunga seeks fresh talks with LTTE

President Chandrika Kumaratunga today called for talks with Tamil Tiger rebels and said she was seeking a mandate at the upcoming parliamentary elections to resume stalled peace negotiations.

Kumaratunga launched the election campaign of her newly formed Freedom Alliance in the north-central town of Anuradhapura, 206 km north of here, seeking to revive a peace bid with the Tigers. 8216;8216;Please give us a mandate to continue the peace talks with the LTTE,8217;8217; she said. 8216;8216;We will have discussions in a proper way.8217;8217;

She praised the Tigers saying they acted with 8216;8216;responsibility8217;8217; despite attempts by the party of her main political rival PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to persuade them into breaking a truce. 8216;8216;The LTTE has shown discipline in maintaining the ceasefire,8217;8217; Kumaratunga was quoted as saying by her media director, Janadasa Peiris.