Colombo: Terming the proposed Indo-Lanka Defence cooperation agreement as "irrelevant", the Tamil Tigers today (Nov 12, 2004) said it will "undermine" the fragile truce between Sri Lanka and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).

LTTE's chief peace negotiator, Anton Balasingham was quoted as saying in a Tiger website today that a deal between the two countries on Defence could tilt the military equilibrium.

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Lanka Peace Process

"Tamil people view that such an agreement is irrelevant during the time of a peace process, suspended though, but altogether not given up and therefore would tilt the military equilibrium, the underlying principle of the ceasefire agreement," Balasingham said.

The LTTE said they have also conveyed their thinking on the Defence agreement to India arguing that it would affect the balance of forces back at home.

"We have conveyed this collective Tamil thinking to India," he said.

Balasingham made the remarks as peace broker Norway tried to jump-start the stalled peace process and revive direct negotiations between the Tigers and the Colombo Government.

However, the Tigers made it clear that they want Colombo to implement the LTTE self-rule plan unveiled in October 2003 and rejected Colombo's demand to link discussions on a final political settlement.

Diplomatic sources said the two sides were no closer to ending the 19-month deadlock in the faltering peace process.