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Chandrika wants to send 'observer' for talks

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO Sept. 4. The Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, has suggested the inclusion of her nominee in the talks between Colombo and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), scheduled to start in Thailand on September 16.

This new turn, which was discussed in political circles for the past few days, was announced today by the President's spokesman. ``We have conveyed (this) to the Government through formal channels'', he said. Emphasising that it was not a posture of confrontation, the spokesman said the decision ``has to be by consensus''.

No further details were disclosed but indications are that the Presidential nominee would be an ``observer'', without direct participation in the parleys. The suggestion was made during the two-hour meeting between Ms. Kumaratunga and the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Tuesday, in which the senior adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs, Lakshman Kadirgamar, was also present.There has been no response from the Government as yet on this proposal, which can mark a big departure from Colombo's approach to the negotiations during the past five decades.

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