Minister says the paramilitaries are operating in LTTE-held areas

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the LTTE would not abandon the talks as threatened as the international community exerts pressure on the parties to continue talks.

LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham has warned that the peace process in “grave danger” as the government has not taken steps to disarm paramilitaries as agreed in Geneva.

But Minister Samaraweera catagorically denied that the government has any links with the paramilitary groups.

“Most of these so called groups are operating from within the Tiger controlled area and Sri Lanka armed forces cannot go in there according to the ceasefire agreement,” he told BBC World television.

Both parties pledged to stop violence in against each other at the first round of talks in Geneva

The LTTE has especially accused the government of allowing the breakaway LTTE faction led by V Muralitharan alias Karuna to launch attacks against them.

The Karuna faction is an internal matter for the rebels, Samaraweera said, and the government is not willing to get involved in LTTE matters.

The minister, who is in London as part of his European tour, said the Tigers came to the negotiating table in Geneva especially because of the pressure exerted by the international community.

Most of these so called groups are operating from within the Tiger controlled area and Sri Lanka armed forces cannot go in there according to the ceasefire agreement Minister Samaraweera

He expressed confidence that countries like UK, EU, United States and Japan would persuade the rebels not to abandon the negotiating table.

The people in Sri Lanka are “cautiously optimistic” of the next round of the talks, according to Samaraweera.

Both parties agreed to stop violence against each other in Geneva, last month.

“The LTTE is committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that there will be no acts of violence against the security forces and police.

The GOSL is committed to taking all necessary measures in accordance with the Ceasefire Agreement to ensure that no armed group or person other than Government security forces will carry arms or conduct armed operations,” the statement issued after the two-day talks said.

The talks were the first meeting since negotiations collapsed in 2003.