Sri Lanka rebel leader to make announcement on peace process: legislator

The Tamil Tiger leader would make an announcement on the peace process with the Sri Lankan government during his annual "hero's day" speech next month, a Tamil legislator has said.

Selvam Adaikkalanathan, a parliament member from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said Thursday the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabakaran would make an announcement on the future of the north and east crisis on Nov. 27, during the annual "Hero's Day" message of the Tiger leader.

Adaikkalanathan said the Tamil people had no faith on the ability of the two main candidates in the country's Nov. 17 presidential poll to resolve the armed conflict in a satisfactory manner to ensure the well being of the Tamil community.

The main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse have both pledged to start the stalled Norwegian-backed talks with a view to settling the conflict if elected.

Norway facilitated six rounds of direct talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE from September 2002 until April 2003 when the Tigers announced a temporary pull out from the process.

Source: Xinhua