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Lanka seeks road map for peace with Tigers

Both sides need to be flexible: PM

AFP, Colombo
Sri Lanka Tuesday called for a "road map" for ending the island's drawn-out ethnic conflict amid stepped-up international diplomacy to revive stalled talks with Tamil Tiger rebels.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament Tuesday that even though the talks with Tamil Tiger guerrillas were at an impasse, his government wanted to develop a plan to encompass the thorny issues of power-sharing.
"We will in consultation with all parties proceed to develop a road map towards this objective," he told parliament Tuesday, the first session of the assembly since Tiger rebels suspended peace talks on April 21.
"This (road map) will set out with clarity the sequence in which the substantive issues will be
addressed in the unfolding process, so that the objective sought to be accomplished and the means by which this goal will be reached, becomes apparent."
He said efforts were under way to bring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) back to the negotiating table. The Tigers suspended talks to protest alleged government failure to deliver on "critical issues."
"The international community whose goodwill is abundantly at our disposal is engaged in a professional exercise of shuttle diplomacy which has already begun to show promising results, " Wickremesinghe said.
He did not indicate when the talks could resume, but said the negotiations so far limited to the government and the LTTE should be expanded to include Sri Lanka's second largest minority, Muslims.
Clashes between Tamils, who
are the largest minority, and Muslims in the island's east had on several occasions threatened to undermine the Norwegian-brokered truce that has been in place since February 23 last year.
Reuters adds: Sri Lanka's prime minister acknowledged hardships on Tuesday in the island's peace process but said both the government and separatist Tamil Tigers had to be flexible to get direct talks moving again.
Speaking to parliament, Ranil Wickremesinghe said the peace process he started when he was elected in late 2001 had not been permanently stopped when the Tigers suspended talks last month saying not enough was being done to rebuild war-hit Tamil areas.
"The government is open to having wide-ranging discussions on the many issues that are represented here -- especially regarding the extent of devolution of power," he said.