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Prospects for peace talks plunge
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief returns from Kilinochchi empty-handed
Prospects for the resumption of talks between the Government and the LTTE appeared remote yesterday despite frantic persuasive efforts by Norwegian peace facilitators.

This grim picture emerged as the new Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief Ulf Henricsson returned to Colombo empty handed after an overnight stay in Kilinochchi. He flew there with a Government Peace Secretariat document that confirmed approval and security guarantees for either a sea-going vessel or a private helicopter to ferry LTTE eastern leaders for a meeting in Kilinochchi with their leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The SLMM Head went to Kilinochchi on Friday and delivered the document to the LTTE. He was to have met LTTE Political Wing leader, S.P. Thamilselvan yesterday in an apparent attempt to obtain the Tigers’ consent to move forward with arrangements for the second round of talks in Geneva. However, it was made known to him that Mr. Thamilselvan was unable to meet him yesterday.

According to reports, the SLMM chief at a meeting on Friday with LTTE peace secretariat head S. Pulithevan explained the route of the aircraft, the flight plan, the cost involved and the agreement between the Norwegians and the private airline service. The government had permitted the private aircraft to fly up to nine times to carry nearly 40 cadres.

The estimated cost of US $ 2,400 per trip was to be borne by Norwegian peace brokers. However, the LTTE said this was not acceptable. They insisted that it either had to be air force helicopters or the use of Sea-Tiger vessels.
Expecting a positive outcome Norway's Special Envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer had put off his departure from Sri Lanka. He had also put off a meeting scheduled for yesterday in London with LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham.

iplomatic sources said Mr. Bauer had hoped to receive LTTE's acceptance of transport arrangements and security guarantees. With that he had planned to confirm dates for the second round of talks in Geneva during discussions with Mr. Balasingham. There has been no official response so far from either Government or Norwegian officials over the latest development.

But a Government source who spoke on grounds of anonymity said fresh dates set apart for the second round in Geneva are of no avail now. The situation is now being closely studied and an official statement will follow, the source added. The news about uncertainty of future talks came as suspected Tiger guerrillas stepped up their attacks on armed forces and the police.

Claymore attacks continue
An officer and three soldiers were killed and ten soldiers wounded in three separate claymore bomb attacks by Tiger guerrillas yesterday. Two attacks occurred in Thandikulam, five kilometers north of Vavuniya.

In the first attack yesterday, a soldier travelling in a Double Cab was killed and a colleague wounded. Later at dusk, a claymore mine fixed on a tree top hit an Army armoured buffel killing two soldiers and wounding four more. In Welikanda, near Polonnaruwa, the second in command of the sixth battalion of Gemunu Watch, Major Percy Jagath was killed by a claymore mine explosion.

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