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By V.S. Sambandan
COLOMBO. MARCH 3. The chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Anton S. Balasingham, today discussed with his leader, V. Prabakaran, the strategy to be adopted at future rounds of peace talks. According to LTTE sources, the meeting "lasted for about two-three hours". The two leaders also discussed the political situation in the country. Mr. Balasingham, who arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday, was flown to Kilinochchi in rebel-held northern Sri Lanka by the Sri Lanka Air Force. No further details were given by the LTTE on the issues discussed at the meeting. The venue was also not disclosed. Mr. Balasingham, who is accompanied by his wife, Adele, and the LTTE's political organiser in London, Shanthan, are scheduled to stay on in Kilinochchi till they leave for the next session of talks, to be held in Japan between March 18 and 21. Today's meeting between Mr. Balasingham and Mr. Prabakaran was the second in as many days after Sunday's courtesy call by the chief negotiator, immediately after his arrival. Mr. Balasingham's inability to meet Mr. Prabakaran since October last was cited as the reason for the abridged fifth round of talks between Colombo and the Tigers which was shifted from Thailand to the German capital, Berlin, last month. During the January round of talks in Thailand, the two sides publicly differed on the sensitive issue of de-escalation of the northern Jaffna peninsula. In his annual November "Heroes Day" speech, the LTTE leader had expressed dissatisfaction over the High Security Zones in Jaffna, which he said had prevented civilian resettlement. The issue, which came to the forefront in the January round of talks, has remained in the northern public agenda since then, with civilian protests, reportedly backed by the Tigers, sharpening calls for de-escalation. A busy schedule awaits Mr. Balasingham during his stay in Kilinochchi, which was wrested by the LTTE from Government control in 1998. Since then, particularly after last year's ceasefire agreement signed separately by the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mr. Prabakaran, Kilinochchi has become the meeting point for visiting delegations to call on the LTTE's political leadership. According to reports, among those scheduled to meet Mr. Balasingham were the outgoing head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Trond Furuhovde, and his successor, Trygve Tellefsen, on March 5. A meeting with the leaders of the Tamil National Alliance is scheduled for March 7. Another high profile meeting on the cards is with the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jan Petersen, and the Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgesen, on March 14.
LTTE seeks ANC support
The Tigers have sought the assistance of the African National Congress (ANC) as part of their efforts to study federal models across the globe. According to LTTE sources, the secretary-general of the Tigers' peace secretariat, S. Pulidevan, made the request during a recent meeting in Kilinochchi with a South African delegation which included Ebrahim Ebrahim, a senior adviser to the Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, and a former national Cabinet Minister, Roelf Meyer. "The LTTE is keen on sending a team to South Africa to study its model for political settlement," an LTTE source said, confirming a news report in a South African newspaper. The Sunday Times, published from Johannesburg, quoted Mr. Pulidevan as saying that "the ANC has managed to transform from a military organisation into a political one, and we require such assistance as we move forward in the negotiation process".
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