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