Talks near, Lanka lifts ban on LTTE

The government had said it would lift the ban at least 10 days before the September 16 talks begin even though President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is elected separately, has demanded that the ban stay in place until the talks show solid progress.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fighting for a separate Tamil state, had said there would be no talks unless the ban was lifted.

Kumaratunga’s stance has put her at odds with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the rivalry has threatened to mar a peace process that put a truce in place and brought about the first face-to-face talks in more than seven years.

The ban has been an emotional issue for Sinhalese nationalists as well as the LTTE since it was imposed in early 1998 after the Tigers launched a suicide bomb attack on the island’s holiest Buddhist shrine in the central town of Kandy.

The nationalists say the lifting of the ban will mean that other countries such as the United States, which have also outlawed the Tigers, will follow suit. But US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ashley Wills has said the US will not be lifting its ban anytime soon.

Kumaratunga’s spokesman Harim Peiris told a news conference that she is considering sending a nominee to the talks. ‘‘The President is seriously considering sending a ‘Presidential nominee’ to the Thailand talks with the LTTE. The President’s office has sought government’s view on the Presidential nominee and this has been conveyed to the government through formal channels,’’ Peiris said.

The President’s latest stance to send a nominee on her behalf to the talks comes amidst her ‘fierce resistance’ for the past few days to the government’s moves aimed at facilitating the talks for the de-proscription of the LTTE, release of prisoners of war and establishment of an interim administration in the North-East.

Wickremesinghe won parliamentary polls in December and signed a ceasefire in February, raising hopes of a permanent peace with the LTTE.