Colombo: Softening their stand on the participation in peace talks with the government, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers on April 26 said their decision to suspend the dialogue was only to "pressure the government" to deliver on several promises.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) climb down comes two days after the US Ambassador to Colombo Ashley Wills warned the Tigers to return to the negotiating table and also asked them to renounce violence and terror.

The London-based chief negotiator of the LTTE Anton Balasingham admitted that their decision to suspend the talks on April 21 was only to "pressure the government" to deliver on several promises.

"We have not terminated the negotiating process or walked away from talks," Balasingham said. "We have not scuttled the peace process or terminated negotiations."

The US also rejected Tiger claims that it was the Colombo government that was to blame for the slow implementation of provisions in a ceasefire agreement.

"The Tigers, too, bear heavy responsibility for numerous breaches of the ceasefire," the Ambassador said.

"Assassinations of opponents, intimidation of (minority) Muslims, taxation without representation, aggressive Sea Tiger behaviour and continued child recruitment do not build trust in the LTTE's intentions."

LTTE's Balasingham in an interview to the pro-rebel 'Tamilnet' Website said there was an "element of misunderstanding" between the Tigers and the United States.

"Our intention is to pressurise the government to realise the urgency of the existential issues confronting our people and to impress upon them the importance of fulfilling pledges and decisions," he said.

However, the seventh round of talks scheduled for April 29 in Thailand would almost certainly have to be rescheduled, Asian diplomats said.

Japan was the latest country to ask the Tigers on April 25 to return to the negotiating table. The US and France had earlier deplored the Tiger decision and sought a return to talks.

Although Balasingham sounded conciliatory, he refused the give up their weapons as demanded by the US.

"…We do have military formations to protect our lands and our people. The ethnic conflict is not yet resolved and the threat of Sinhala military aggression of Tamil lands is not yet over.

"Under these circumstances, decommissioning or abdication of arms is non-negotiable. The majority of the Tamil people will not agree with Mr Wills' perception that the maintenance of armed formations by the LTTE would not protect the Tamil rights, but rather create conflicts."

PTI