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Journalism of Courage
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. ‘‘Please give us a mandate to continue the peace talks with the LTTE,’’ she said. ‘‘We will have discussions in a proper way.’’
She praised the Tigers saying they acted with ‘‘responsibility’’ despite attempts by the party of her main political rival PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to persuade them into breaking a truce. ‘‘The LTTE has shown discipline in maintaining the ceasefire,’’ Kumaratunga was quoted as saying by her media director, Janadasa Peiris.
