Tigers release cop as goodwill gesture

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels released a policeman as a gesture of goodwill on Thursday, a day after agreeing to peace talks with the gover...

Sri Lanka8217;s Tamil Tiger rebels released a policeman as a gesture of goodwill on Thursday, a day after agreeing to peace talks with the government in Switzerland, but some asked if civil war had merely been postponed.

8220;People are not jumping around with joy,8221; said one aid worker from the northern army-held enclave of Jaffna, hemmed in by rebel lines and the scene of some recent attacks. 8220;People are a bit more relaxed but I don8217;t know that they think it will really work. They have seen this before.8221;

The current ceasefire is the longest since the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam LTTE began their fight for a Tamil homeland two decades ago, but new violence left fighters on both sides expecting war if Norwegian peace broker Erik Solheim had not been able to break the deadlock. The government had refused to go to Norway, which has been facilitating the island8217;s peace process since 1998 but which some of the Sinhalese majority say is too pro-rebel.

The Tigers had refused to go anywhere else. Agreeing to meet in Geneva, the rebels said they would stop violence if alleged army abuse of Tamil civilians ceased. They also pledged to release one of three child protection policemen held since September when they strayed into rebel territory as they tried to catch a suspected British paedophile. Diplomats said the policemen were being held as bargaining chips.

8220;This is all very good,8221; said Helen Olafsdottir, spokeswoman for the unarmed Nordic-staffed truce monitoring mission, after one of the three was freed unconditionally. 8220;But let8217;s not forget that there are two remaining in custody and we8217;ve been demanding their release for over four months.8221;

One Tamil civilian was killed overnight by unknown gunmen in the troubled east, the army said. Diplomats fear more killings could prove sabotage the peace deal, particularly if the government is not seen cracking down on those responsible.

Solheim said the agreement for February talks in Geneva could be a turning point. But he added that while President Mahinda Rajapakse and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran were both keen on peace, neither appeared keen on giving up stated goals.

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8220;It8217;s definitely important 8212; a clear positive step forward, but only one step,8221; an exhausted Solheim said in an interview in the early hours of Thursday. But he added: 8220;There is real enthusiasm for peace but possibly not real enthusiasm for the necessary compromises.8221; 8212;Reuters