Sunday, January 9 2005 17:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan today (Jan 9, 2005) ended his visit to tsunami-stricken Sri Lanka saying he hoped to return to accelerate the Government's stalled peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels.

Annan, who visited several affected areas along the coast, was reportedly dissuaded by the Government from touring rebel-held tracts in the north and east which took a severe bashing from the giant tsunamis on December 26.

"I'm hoping to come back ... and see all parts of the country and be of help to accelerate the peace process," Annan told reporters at the tail-end of his two-day visit to the island nation after attending the Jakarta conference on the tsunami calamity.

Annan said he had met leaders of all political parties at a meeting chaired by President Chandrika Kumaratunga today, including members of the Tamil National Alliance who are LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) proxies in the Legislature.

"I raised the question of the peace process and the need to intensify the efforts. I was also able to discuss that with the President," Annan said.

UN officials said Annan was keen to see the destruction wrought by the tsunamis in the northeast where the LTTE have reportedly lost several key military bases and thousands of people are languishing in camps for the displaced.

"The UN is not a one-man show. We have many people in all parts of the country and we're here for the long haul," Annan said in reply to questions about whether he had been barred from travelling to LTTE areas.

According to a report in the 'Sunday Leader' newspaper, President Kumaratunga had been against Annan visiting the LTTE's territory on the grounds that the rebels would gain political mileage out of it.

The Government vehemently denied that it had put the brakes on the UN chief visiting the areas under LTTE control.

"The Government...offered access and air transport facilities to any member of the Secretary General's delegation to visit any tsunami-affected areas in the country," the Government said in a statement, adding the itinerary was drawn up with UN officials taking security and time available into consideration.

Over 30,000 people died in the tsunami devastation, which affected almost three quarters of the islands seaboard, making some 800,000 homeless.