Sri Lanka Muslims want early resumption of peace negotiation

The main political party for the minority Muslim community Sunday called for an early resumption of peace negotiations between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan government.

Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), told reporters that his party was seriously concerned about the stalled nature of the Norwegian backed process aimed at ending the long drawn out separatist armed conflict.

Hakeem said the SLMC has its own proposals to resolve the conflict which would be presented to the two sides once the talks resumed.

"The Muslims need autonomy in the eastern province where they are a majority", the SLMC leader said.

The Tigers seek self rule for the combined north and east provinces claiming the regions have been historical homeland of the minority Tamils.

But they have to contend with the problem of Muslim dominated pockets in the multi ethnic eastern province where all three communities the majority Sinhala, the Muslims and Tamils each enjoy the same status in terms of percentages of population.

Hakeem said his community was never consulted in the 1987 decision to merge the eastern province with the Tamil dominated northern province and in the event of a de-merger they need to be consulted.

The SLMC leader, who was a member of the government delegation at the previous rounds of talks with the Tigers, said the Muslims ought to be accorded separate status in the future negotiations.

More than 64,000 people were killed in the island's separatist armed conflict between the mid 1980s and the February 2002 cease- fire agreement brokered by the Norwegian peace facilitators.

Source: Xinhua