Only military might will correct situation, says LTTE

Colombo, Jan 4 - The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has indicated that only a demonstration of its military might will change the present international climate in its favour.

V. Balakumaran, a senior member of the LTTE, said in an interview to the National Television of Tamileelam (NTT) last week: 'The international community has been vacillating in taking decisive actions on Sri Lanka because they are unable to relate their own interests to the chaotically unfolding political and military situation in Sri Lanka.'

'Only the demonstration of military strength by the Tigers can bring clarity to the situation for the international community to correctly relate their interests, and aggressively engage,' Balakumaran said in the Nilavaram programme.

'We expect 2008 will be the year where we can overcome the diplomatic hurdles that confront us,' he said.

However, while asserting that demonstration of military power was needed, Balakumaran said it was necessary to show the international community that the LTTE was also interested in a negotiated political solution and that it was not a nihilistic terrorist group.

'In 2003, we proposed ISGA (Interim Self Governing Authority) as a framework which will satisfy us, our minimal requirements for power sharing. So, based on this, the international community cannot call us obstinate, or terrorists. Hillary Clinton also identified us when she articulated a more nuanced definition of terrorism.' Balakumaran said.

The allusion was to US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's remark in a media interview last year that she did not consider all armed rebel groups as being necessarily evil and nihilistic and cited the Tamil Tigers as a group which should prompt a more nuanced approach to armed militancy.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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