Lanka peace talks to be delayed 8212; Report

COLOMBO, FEBRUARY 27: The start of the Norway-brokered direct talks betweenSri Lankan Government and the LTTE rebels would be delayed, a m...

COLOMBO, FEBRUARY 27: The start of the Norway-brokered direct talks betweenSri Lankan Government and the LTTE rebels would be delayed, a media reportsaid here on Sunday.

There is no possibility of talks being held between the two sides foranother two months as LTTE spokesman in London Balasingham, deputed as ChiefNegotiator by the outfit8217;s chief V Prabhakaran, is unwell, Sunday Timesreported quoting Government sources. Balasingham, who till last year washoled up in the LTTE-held Northern Vanni region, made a clandestine voyageby sea to Bangkok before flying from there to London. Married to anAustralian nurse, Balasingham is a British passport holder. He said hereached London to undergo treatment for his kidney ailment.

Norway8217;s Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, who undertook the role ofarranging talks between the Government and the LTTE, met Balasingham inLondon before coming to Colombo on February 16. The paper also carrieddenials by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Laxman Kadirgamar and the Norwegiandiplomats here about the reports that a Sri Lankan delegation would shortlygo to London. It quoted Kadirgamar as saying that the Government has noteven thought of packing up a delegation for the talks in the quot;foreseeablefuture.quot;

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka8217;s principle opposition United National Party on Sundayurged President Chandrika Kumaratunga to hold talks with the LTTE beforefinalising the constitutional reforms. In a letter to Kumaratunga, UNPleader Ranil Wickremasinghe said the relevant constitutional changes couldbe made only after working out a solution acceptable to all. The latest UNPstand comes after the party expressed its reservation over some of the newamendments proposed by Kumaratunga to the draft constitutional proposalssubmitted to Parliament by her Government.

After announcing its support for the proposals last month, the UNP laterexpressed its reservations over the new amendments, which includedcontinuation of Kumaratunga as President for the next six years beforeformally abolishing the system of Executive Presidency and revert back toWest Minister Democracy.

The latest policy stand of the UNP came after the Government said it wouldlike to present a draft constitutional package, backed by all politicalparties, as a political solution to the LTTE when the Norway-brokered peacetalks begin at Oslo in the coming weeks.