Colombo: Sri Lanka has underlined its resolve to conduct peace negotiations with any organisation keen on solving the ethnic problem in the country, but said it "did not recognise the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as the sole representative of the Tamil people."

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wicramanayake said the government is committed to conduct peace negotiations to restore peace in the country. "We are willing to go for discussions as a responsible government with any organisation and party if they are very keen on solving the problems of Tamils," he said.

Wicramanayake asserted that the LTTE was not the sole representative of the Tamil people and the government would not allow it to continue perpetrating acts of terrorism.

"The government did not recognize the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people. The Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE was abrogated by the government as the outfit had violated it thousands of times with their acts of terrorism, disregarding it from the very beginning and throughout its existence," he said.

He stressed the government's determination to put an end to acts of terrorism by the separatist LTTE. They (LTTE) had persisted in continuing their acts of terrorism and the government was not prepared to allow it to continue with this state of affairs," the Prime Minister told Parliament yesterday. LTTE still has an opportunity to join the peace negotiations, the state run Daily News quoted the Prime Minister as saying.

Source : PTI