Tigers oppose Indo-Lanka deal

Tigers oppose Indo-Lanka deal

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have asked New Delhi not to go ahead with a proposed defense cooperation pact with the Colombo government, arguing that it would alter the military balance of power here.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they had cautioned India against a military pact with Sri Lanka at a time when the government was locked in an internal power struggle that undermined peace efforts.

The pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website quoted the LTTE's chief peace negotiator, Anton Balasingham, as saying that the proposed defense pact could have "far reaching negative consequences for the current peace process."

"There is no strategic necessity for the government of India to rush into a defense agreement with military implications at this crucial time when the peace process itself is endangered by the political crisis in Colombo," Balasingham was quoted as saying.

Colombo and New Delhi have been discussing a defense pact to enhance training for Sri Lankan security personnel as well as explore the possibility of closer cooperation between the security forces of the two neighboring nations. -- AFP