The Government reiterated its willingness to negotiate with the Tamil political parties to resolve the national problem amidst the political drama staged by Tamil Nadu politicians who were trying to force the Government to stop stepping into the Tiger heartland. This pre-election 'love' of Tamil Nadu for the Wanni civilians has been criticised by Indian and Lankan politicians who tagged it as a dubious act of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and called upon the Indian government not to intervene in Sri Lanka?s domestic policies to defeat the LTTE.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the Sunday Observer that the Indian government was keen that Sri Lanka commences negotiations to resolve the problem and President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is committed to find a lasting solution through negotiations called the All Party Conference. He said that all political parties had been asked to present proposals and if they were acceptable the President would implement it.