Nakhon Pathom (Thailand): The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on January 9 rejected the call to disarm even as it wrapped up its negotiations with the Sri Lankan government without any agreement on key military issues.

The two sides, however, pledged to speed up resettlement of displaced people in areas outside high security zones occupied by the army.

"It would be suicidal to disarm at this stage. It is the bargaining power of our people. We have to bargain from a position of strength," LTTE's chief negotiator Anton Balasingham told reporters after the four-day peace talks with the Sri Lankan government.

Declaring that LTTE will not disarm till a political solution was reached to end the 20-year ethnic conflict, Balasingham, however, said, that refusing to give up arms did not mean that the LTTE would recourse to violence.

"The peace process is going on well without difficulties. Our forces are confined to barracks. They are not a threat to anyone," he said.

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on January 8 had asked LTTE to disband its suicide squad 'Black Tigers' to prove that the outfit was sincere to the peace process.

The LTTE had pulled out of a key sub-committee on de-escalation during negotiations upset over demands by the Sri Lankan Army that the Tigers should disarm immediately before the Army withdrew from high security zones.

"The progress we have achieved is very substantial. The one disagreement we had pales into insignificance when you consider what we were able to achieve," government's chief negotiator G L Peiris said.

In a joint statement issued after the talks, the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE said human rights would constitute an important element of a final declaration.

The issue of resettlement in high security zones will be reviewed by the government on an urgent basis on a report by India's retired Army official Satish Nambiar.

A roadmap, agreed by the two sides, has set up four tasks – identifying available resources by January 20, a report on a plan to release premises occupied by security forces by January 31, a physical assessment by February 7 and project recommendation by February 14.

Resettlement of displaced persons within the high security areas would take place as and when they were released by the security forces, the statement said adding a reconstruction fund, composed of international aid, will be set up with the World Bank as its custodian.

The statement noted that peace process was about overcoming complex disagreements through political dialogue rather than violent means.

The fifth round of peace talks will be held at the same venue next month.

The two sides have been observing a Norway brokered ceasefire since last February.

PTI