Tigers deny 'official talks' with Sri Lankan minister

Tigers deny 'official talks' with Sri Lankan minister

COLOMBO (AFP): The Tamil Tiger guerrillas Wednesday denied
holding talks with a Sri Lankan minister but said they had
provided security for him during a Catholic pilgrimage to a
rebel-held area.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) accused Aviation
Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle of "falsely" raising peace hopes
after his pilgrimage to the town of Madhu in the island's north
Monday.

LTTE official Anton Balasingham was quoted on the pro-rebel
Tamilnet.com website as saying that Fernandopulle had
misunderstood his talks with "border guards".

"Mr Fernandopulle only met our border guards who provided
security for the minister who had entered territory under our
control for the purposes of pilgrimage to the Madhu shrine,"
Balasingham said.

"The minister appears to have misunderstood the role and
capacity of the cadres whom he met during his crossing," he said.

"Regrettably, Mr Fernandopulle, whose government is facing
severe political problems, has falsely raised hopes of peace with
his peculiar claim of a meeting with LTTE leaders."

Balasingham said international coverage of the meeting -- the
first case of a cabinet minister coming face to face with Tiger
rebels in 11 years -- had also "unreasonably heightened
optimism".

Fernandopulle's office had said in a statement that he held
talks with regional leaders of the LTTE who asked him to launch a
fresh peace initiative.

The minister also said he was provided protection by Tiger
guerrillas during the pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's peace bid remained in limbo on
Wednesday as officials and diplomats said a shock visit to rebel-
held areas by a cabinet minister had nothing to do with a
Norwegian initiative to end the 18-year-old ethnic war.

The diplomats in Colombo dismissed speculation that the trip,
the first of its kind by a cabinet minister in 10 years, was
linked to the peace process.

"The Norwegian government had nothing to do with this," said a
spokesman for the Norwegian embassy in Colombo.

Norway has been trying to bring the two sides to the
negotiating table for the past 18 months, but its efforts have
been hamstrung by haggling over conditions for talks.

Diplomats said there had been no new peace moves since the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacked the country's
only international airport last month, destroying civilian and
military aircraft.

"We know nothing of this visit," a government spokesman said.

The peace process has also been overshadowed by an escalating
political crisis, with the minority government looking for new
allies before parliament reconvenes on September 7.

A Marxist group implacably opposed to the peace process has
reported progress in talks with President Chandrika Kumaratunga
who suspended parliament last month ahead of no-confidence vote.

In an another development, Sri Lankan military aircraft bombed
a Tamil rebel trench line in the island's northern Jaffna
peninsula Wednesday, defense officials said.

Two Israeli-built Kfir jets attacked separatist Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam positions at Pallai. There were no
immediate reports of rebel casualties.

Wednesday's attack followed a similar air strike against
another LTTE base at Chempianpattu where the rebels had a radio
communications center, the officials said.

On Monday, the air force bombed rebel bases in the nearby
Soranpattu area.

The military has stepped up air attacks against the LTTE since
the rebels launched a daring raid on Sri Lanka's international
airport and adjoining airbase on July 24.