The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday the joint deal signed last week with the Tamil Tigers for tsunami relief distribution poses no threat to national security.

In a statement issued here Wednesday, the office of the President Chandrika Kumaratunga said that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels will have no opportunity to build military bases within the 2 km area coming under the post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS).

It added that under the ongoing ceasefire agreement (CFA) all harbors in the north and east will remain under government control and the Tigers have no right to control any area outside the definitions of the CFA.

Kumaratunga signed the deal last Friday amidst stiff opposition from political and Buddhist religious groups.

The mechanism is aimed at bettering co-ordination of some 3 billion US dollars worth assistance pledged by the international community.

The P-TOMS detractors said by entering the deal the government had surrendered the sovereignty of the nation.

The statement assures that no funds can be directly transferred to LTTE control as the government treasury has overall control of the funds.

The Sri Lankan president says the P-TOMS mechanism would pave way for the revival of the stalled direct negotiations between the two sides.

Source: Xinhua