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| Sunday, 7 November 2004 |
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SLMM to LTTE : Pull back from Nagarkovil by Ranga Jayasuriya Scandinavian truce monitors will this week meet LTTE political chief S.P. Thamilselvan to demand the LTTE pull back from Nagarkovil Forward Defence Lines. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's acting chief Hagrup Haukland said the head of the mission, Trond Furuhovde would meet Thamilselvan next week. Furuhovde now in Norway was expected to return today. Haukland said the SLMM discussed the issue with the Defence Secretary, Cyril Herath and security forces officials who charged the Tigers of advancing their Forward Defence Line and wanted a LTTE pull back. "We will communicate the Security Force's stance to the LTTE and arrive at a solution," he said. Haukland earlier said the SLMM had evidence of an infiltration by the LTTE. "We have evidence of LTTE infiltration. We have seen that to our own eyes. This is a violation of the ceasefire agreement," Haukland said. Defence Ministry earlier rejected a proposal put forward by the SLMM for a mutual pull back of the Security Forces and the LTTE from the Nagarkovil FDL where the two parties have come close to a range of 20 meters from each other in some places contravening the Ceasefire Agreement. The Ceasefire Agreement requires 600 meter distance between the each other's forward defence lines. When the Ceasefire Agreement was signed on April 22, 2002, the distance between the two parties in Nagar Kovil was 500 meters. Even though the Ceasefire Agreement required the distance to be 600 meters, which is twice of the effective range of T 56 assault rifle, the two parties agreed with the existing distance of 500 meters. The Security Forces charge that the Tigers since then have slowly advanced their FDL. |
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