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| Sunday, 22 September 2002 |
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Politics |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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EPDP, PLOTE welcome first round by Ananth Palakidnar The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), the two Tamil parties which are not part of the Tamil National Alliance have welcomed the first round of talks between the Government and the LTTE in Thailand with cautious remarks. The EPDP leader and the Jaffna district Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda said: "Our party has always supported the peace initiatives and voiced for a political settlement to the North-East crisis. It is happy to note that the representatives of the Government and the LTTE have discussed the differences between them with considerable understanding. But we feel still there is a long way to travel to find an overall solution to the crisis. We would like to point out that the Sattahip talks should not be like building 'sand castles ' at a beach resort." The PLOTE leader and the Vanni district Parliamentarian Dharmalingam Sitharthan commenting on the Thai talks said: It is encouraging to note that this time the LTTE has clearly indicated where they actually stand. We too believe that healthy negotiation could be built up on the basis of the homeland concept of the North and the East. It is important that first of all the talks should focus mainly on the basic political issues. If these issues are addressed, our party believe that the day to day problems in the war-torn North and the East would come down automatically. EPDP leader Douglas Devananda also told the Sunday Observer that a new Tamil political forum has been created with the Tamil parties which are not represented in the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance. He said that EPDP, PLOTE, EROS and the Perumal wing of the EPRLF have joined in the new forum and this would focus mainly on the democratic and the human rights aspects of the North and the East. |
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