Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Enough on truce: Time for in-depth talks - Sri Lanka

Tuesday October 10, 2006 - 06:40 EDT. COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is tired of talks with Tamil Tiger rebels centring on the terms of a 2002 ceasefire, and wants a new round later this month to focus on core issues such as human rights and development, the government said on Tuesday.

Talks between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Geneva in February turned into a slanging match about truce violations. The rebels pulled out of a second round in April and there have been no meetings since.

Hundreds of people have been killed since late July in the worst fighting since the tattered truce was brokered and many feel talks planned in Geneva on Oct. 28-29 are premature.

"We do not want to be trapped within talks about the ceasefire agreement," Defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters at a weekly briefing.

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