Sri Lanka News: The Tamils.

TNA threatens to withdraw from govt talks

PTI | 11:08 PM,Aug 04,2011

===============================================================

Colombo, Aug 4 (PTI) Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main party of the Sri Lankan Tamils, today threatened to withdraw from talks with the government if it did agree to step up the pace for a meaningful devolution of power and reconciliation with the minority ethnic community.

The party have pushed for meaningful devolution to the north and east regions since the end to the ethnic war.Today's decision is being viewed as their giving vent to frustration over the slow process of making any progress.The TNA has brought forward three conditions at reconciliation talks held today with the government, the party said in a statement.The TNA said three points for which they want the government to respond in quick time are the structure of governance for north and east regions, allocation of subjects and functions to the provincial councils and the issues relating to fiscal and financial devolution.They have warned the government that they would withdraw from talks if the government did not respond positively within 10 days.The two parties held their tenth round of direct talks which was a process began in January when president Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a high powered ministerial committee to talk to the main Tamil party.The latest warning represents a toughening of the TNA's stand after they recorded a thumping victory in the local council elections held at the end of last month.They won 15 of the 18 councils in the northern Jaffna district, the heartland of a three decade ethnic conflict that ended in May 2009.The TNA was seen as the proxy of the LTTE before the armed group came to be defeated in 2009 signalling the end to their separatist campaign.

================================================

ibnlive.in.com