Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels pulled out of talks to end two decades of civil war on Monday, the biggest threat yet to the island’s best chance of attaining peace in the region. The LTTE said they were committed to a negotiated end to the war but were unhappy about being excluded from an aid donor planning meeting and a lack of progress in improving living conditions for minority Tamils.‘‘Expressing deep displeasure over certain critical issues relating to the ongoing peace process, the LTTE leadership on Monday informed the Sri Lankan government it had decided to suspend its participation in the negotiations for the time being,’’ the group said.The pullout comes eight days before the two sides were to meet in Thailand for a seventh round of talks since a February 2002 ceasefire was agreed, and before a donor conference and another round of talks in Japan in June. The Tigers’ statement said a letter had been sent to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe complaining about being excluded from a meeting in Washington last week that set the agenda for the June conference.‘‘We view the exclusion of the LTTE, the principle partner to peace and authentic representatives of Tamil people, from discussions on critical matters affecting the economic and social welfare of the Tamil nation as a grave breach of faith,’’ it said. ‘‘The exclusion of LTTE from this conference has severely eroded the confidence of our people in the peace process,’’ said the letter from chief Tiger negotiator Anton Balasingham.The Tigers said they were unhappy that commitments made in the ceasefire pact had not been kept, specifically on the removal of troops housed in churches in Tamil areas and help for displaced people. ‘‘Your negotiators’ repeated assurances that the resettlement of the displaced people would be expedited have proven futile,’’ the letter said. The Tigers said an appropriate venue should have been selected for the Washington meeting. The rebels were not invited because the US has listed the group as a terrorist organisation and bans US officials from dealing with it. Balasingham said the talks so far showed the Tigers’ sincerity, including agreeing to give up calls for a separate state and explore power-sharing under a federal framework. (Reuters)
