India is concerned about alleged airstrip and aircraft

Indian foreign Minister Natwar Singh talking to 'The Hindu' newspaper has said that India is concerned about the information that LTTE has built an airstrip and possessed two aircraft.

Asked about Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's comment in The Hindu newspaper that India is concerned about the Tamil Tiger rebels' move to acquire air power and building an airstrip in the area controlled by them, Indian defence expert K Subramanyam told Ramesh Goplakrishnan of BBC Tamil Section that India's concern was legitimate since September 11 proved that a plane could be used as a missile.

He also pointed out that the Tamil Tigers had a well-motivated band of suicide cadres.

Though the Tamil Tigers were observing a ceasefire for the last three years, the peace talks remained deadlocked and there was no international pressure on them so far to decommission weapons, he said.

He said in the past India had a "difficult relationship" with the Tamil Tiger rebels and they continued to remain banned in India.

For India, the question of resumption of any sort of ties with Tamil Tigers would not arise till the Tamil Tigers joined the Sri Lankan political mainstream, he said.