THE Government could sign a deal brokered by Norway with the LTTE to provide a formula for distributing tsunami relief as long as it was not seen as giving the LTTE de facto recognition as a Government, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said.
Addressing the Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) in Colombo over the weekend, Minister Kadirgamar said: "I am told that the process of a joint mechanism is moving. It is not standing still. It is not going backwards."
The Foreign Minister said the Government's main objective now was to enter into a joint mechanism with the Tigers to distribute foreign aid for tsunami victims in the North-East, some parts of which are held by the LTTE.
Nearly 31,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka by the December 26 tsunamis and two thirds of the victims were in the Northern and Eastern regions.
He ruled out an early resumption of peace talks. "A formal resumption of the peace process is very much on the backburner," Kadirgamar told the FCA meeting.
Peace talks have been stalled since April 2003. Despite the suspension of face-to-face discussions, the two parties are abiding by a ceasefire arranged by Norway and in place from February 23, 2002.
The LTTE earlier this month said they agreed to the joint mechanism proposed by Norway, but there has been no formal announcement on the exact contents of the proposed deal.
An agreement on distributing tsunami aid is needed because international donors and several Governments do not want to give aid directly to the Tigers who are designated a terrorist organisation by countries such as the United States, Britain and India.
Khalid
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