No fear of war but prepared to face any LTTE threat: Admrl Sandagi

Sri Lanka's top defence official claimed here today that the country's Armed Forces ''are fully prepared to face any threat'' from the Tamil Tiger rebels but allayed increasing fears that the present volatile security situation in the North-East would not lead to yet another bloody war in the island nation.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Daya Sandagiri, who is also the head of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) said that all necessary steps had been taken to deal with the situation following the two claymore mine attacks in the Jaffna peninsula that left 15 soldiers dead within three days, keeping in mind the existing Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE.

''The specific challenge for the armed forces at present is that the LTTE is trying to provoke the troops in Jaffna.

We are fully aware of it and not getting ourselves trapped into it. We are mindful of the situation and act with full restrain to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is continuing.

We will not breakaway from this position,'' Admiral Sandagiri, flanked by tri-service chiefs, told reporters here today.

Commenting on the current security situation in the Jaffna peninsula that has created a kind of tension within Sri Lanka and abroad, Admiral Sandagiri said that the armed forces have taken full charge of the situation and in the process of introducing some security measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

''The LTTE is trying to provoke the armed forces to meet their own strategy. But the government is standing that the peace process should continue and the negotiations should start.

Having these two situations in parallel, the government forces are well prepared to face any challenge from the LTTE. We have taken charge of the situation. One should not get exited about the small incidents of this nature,'' he said.

Claiming that those two claymore explosions ''are not acts of war, but of terrorism,'' Admiral Sandagiri said that the war was not at all imminent in the island nation.

''There are so many ceasefire violations by the LTTE.

But that does not mean that we are going for war. Under these conditions, the act of war is not something that we are mindful of. I do not consider the word war is a right application here, because it is not what we are really thinking of,'' Admiral Sandagiri said.

He, however, said that with the available defence allocation the government forces are in the process of acquiring new weapons to meet the future challenges, but refused to divulge the details of those weapons.

Meanwhile, the LTTE's political wing head, S P Thamilselvan has welcomed President Mahinda Rajapakse's move to have formally invited the Norwegian government to resume its role as facilitator ''as a reciprocal act'' to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's annual speech on November 27.

He has made these remarks at a meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in the rebel-held Kilinochchi region today.

Claming that the organisation remained committed to the truce pact, Mr Thamilselvan has urged the facilitators to organise a top level meeting with the government to ''effectively implement'' the shaky truce.

''Our commitment to the CFA and the peace process remains undiluted and what we request now is to urgently arrange the high level meeting between the parties to effectively implement the CFA, for this alone can bring about normalcy and avoid confrontational postures between the civilians and the occupying military,'' an LTTE website has quoted Mr Thamilselvan as saying at the meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador.