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Ranil offers LTTE more powers

Tokyo June 9. Trying to jump-start a stalled peace process, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, today offered Tamil rebels more authority in rebuilding and administering parts of the war-ravaged island nation.

The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, made the proposal for a ``provisional administrative structure'' for Tamil-majority areas in northeastern Sri Lanka at a conference in Tokyo, where donors pledged more than $2 billion for reconstruction.

Representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were boycotting the two-day conference.

Six rounds of peace talks following a cease-fire last February were suspended seven weeks ago after the rebels accused the Government of not doing enough to rebuild the economy of northeastern Sri Lanka and resettle thousands of Tamils displaced by two decades of civil war.

Addressing the conference, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the rebels would be given a ``significant role'' in a proposed provisional administrative structure that would oversee reconstruction and help with resettlement in the northeast.

``The differences between us over an administrative structure are not that far apart,'' he said.

``It is now important that we develop a roadmap with milestones to get there.''

He added that the proposed interim administration would safeguard the interests of all ethnic communities in the region.

The rebels ultimately want autonomy for northeastern Sri Lanka, home to most of the island's 3.2 million Tamils, having backed away from an earlier demand of independence during peace negotiations brokered by Norway. — AP

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