Get LTTE to come for talks: Rajapaksa tells Co-Chairs

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday asked the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donors Conference, who represent the international community in the Sri Lankan peace process, to persuade the LTTE to come for talks as proposed on October 28 and 29.Rajapaksa conveyed this to the Ambassadors of the US, EU, Japan, Norway and Germany, representing the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo conference.The envoys had sought a meeting with him in an effort to stem the tide towards a full scale war, get the talks process started, and prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in the country.The President said the Sri Lankan government was committed to a negotiated settlement and making the forthcoming talks successful. He hoped the Co-Chairs would be able to persuade the LTTE to abandon its violent approach and return to negotiations. But he made it clear that the government would be "compelled to take appropriate counter measures to ensure security if the LTTE were to continue with violent and provocative actions," according to a release from the President's office.

In the light of complaints that NGOs, especially international NGOs, were being prevented from working in the war-affected North East, Rajapaksa said that he was setting up a Consultative Committee to facilitate humanitarian access to the affected areas "keeping in mind security considerations as well." He appreciated the work of the NGOs working in the war-affected areas.The President said that he was keen on international involvement in human rights monitoring in the country and pointed to the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry and a Group of International Observers on human rights issues