TNA MPs meet U.S Ambassador [TamilNet, October 01, 2004 00:45 GMT]

''Statements by International Community including the United States of America consistently attempt to blame the Liberation Tigers for the stalled peace talks. These statements fail to highlight the fact that internal dissentions and resulting inconsistent policies of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance government are really the root causes for talks not moving forward,'' Tamil National Alliance Foreign affairs committee (TNA) members told U.S Ambassador Jeffery Lunstead when they met the Ambassador Thursday morning at the U.S Embassey in Colombo.

Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of TNA Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam, S.Gajendran, MP for Jaffna district and senior parliamentarian Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam participated in the meeting.

Gajendrakumar said the delegation told the Ambassador that deep divisions within the Sri Lanka government, and the entrenched political rivalry between JVP and the Sri Lanka president are the key factors impeding any forward movement in the peace process

Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam told TamilNet that during the meeting with the Ambassador they pointed out that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are behind the violent incidents in the east thus violating the Ceasefire Agreement. The incident in Panichchankerni where RPGs where fired from the direction of Kadawatte Army camp recently killed one woman. The MP said that there was another violent incident in Pullumalai last month.

He further told the Ambassador that the US should apply pressure on the Sri Lanka Government to resume the peace talks.