NEWS

Peace talks to resume soon, Tigers say

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) this week sent a positive signal to the Sri Lankan government that the peace negotiations, stalled for the past few months, would resume soon once the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's administration submits concrete proposals for an interim administration.

Mr Anton Balasingham, the LTTE's chief negotiator, conveyed this message to Mr Erik Solheim, Norwegian special envoy, who met him in London on Monday. The discussions, which lasted for three hours, were primarily centred on defusing the current impasses in the negotiating process. Ms Lisa golden, Executive Officer of the Royal Norwegian Foreign Ministry, accompanied Mr Solheim to the meeting.

Mr Balasingham conveyed to the Norwegian facilitators that the LTTE was seriously committed to a negotiated political settlement, Tamil Guardian learns.

"Our leadership is awaiting the government's proposal for an interim administration. If a concrete set of proposals is presented the LTTE will study the framework and suggest amendments and improvements. Thereafter, the parties could enter into negotiations to formalise and finalise the envisaged interim administration," Mr Balasingham said.

"The LTTE cannot suggest any inputs at this stage. We expect the government to place something solid on the table so that we can work on it," Mr Balasingham fruther told the Norwegian envoys, commenting on calls by the government last week for the movement to propose a way past the present impasse.

The discussions between the Norwegian officials and Mr. Balasingham were also focussed on a new, redefined agenda. Mr Balasingham also presented a critique of the proceedings and modalities of the past negotiating sessions and argued that the facilitators were inclined to work on an agenda to placate the international donor community thereby ignoring the urgent problems of the people.

"Instead of pursuing guidelines, milestones and roadmaps, for an imaginary solution, the talks should address crucial issues related to the harsh existential realities of the ground situation," Mr Balasingham said.

He also criticised the extra-ordinary high profile given to each round of talks propping up international press conferences that generate expectations of substantial breakthroughs within a short period of time.

Mr Balasingham also told the Norwegian envoys that excess internationalisation of the peace process allowing the involvement of powerful extra-territorial forces might complicate the process and upset the balance of equal partnership.

"The recognition of the parties in conflict as partners in making peace by concerned international governments is a crucial factor in promoting peace and ethnic reconciliation," he said.

The negotiations between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have been stalemated since April this year following the LTTE's decision to temporarily suspend the talks complaining of bureaucratic hurdles in implementing decisions.

Following Monday's discussions Mr Solheim briefed the Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe and chief negotiator, Prof. G. L. Pieris, who are in London on an official visit.

Mr. Wickremesinghe last Thursday said his government was prepared to discuss an interim administration for the Northeast. "We plan to establish an interim council with the agreement of the LTTE that will safeguard the rights of all communities," he said.

Observing that this was not a new offer from the government, Mr Balasingham called on the government to come up with concrete proposals. "This statement of intent, as we have already stated, cannot be a basis for negotiations," he said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe is expected to return to Sri Lanka on the weekend, was al-so accompanied by Sri Lanka's Attorney General K.C. Kamalasabayson, fuelling speculation the Premier would seek expert legal advice in London before formulating his government's proposals to the LTTE.

Kumaratunga ordered attack on LTTE vessel

Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Saturday she had personally ordered the sinking of a merchant vessel belonging to the Liberation Tigers by the Sri Lanka Navy last week.

She also lashed out at the United National Front (UNF) government for undermining Sri Lanka's armed forces and allowing the LTTE to strengthen itself by engaging in peace talks with the movement.

"The government is helping the LTTE to smuggle weapons into the country under the cover of the cease-fire agreement," the hawkish President told the fourteenth national convention of her Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the opposition People's Alliance (PA).

She cannot allow this go on forever and that's why she ordered the Navy to intercept and destroy the LTTE merchant vessel, Kumaratunga, who is also Commander-in-Chief of Sri Lanka's armed forces, said.

"I ordered the Navy to destroy the LTTE ship that carried weapons last Saturday to safeguard the country and its people," she said.

Two weeks ago the SLN had intercepted and sunk one of the LTTE's merchant vessels whilst it was travelling in international waters, after ordering taking its crew into custody, the Tigers said.

The SLN however initially claimed it had been forced to fire on the LTTE vessel in self defence, but later said the Tigers had scuttled the vessel. The Navy also denied taking LTTE cadres into custody

The pro-peace UNF says it was kept in the dark about the SLN's operation until the LTTE vessel had been sunk. The Navy also did not alert the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) of the four hour confrontation till the attack was over.

Claiming that her service chiefs had provided her with "credible information that the LTTE is preparing for another war" Kumaratunga said the armed forces were not prepared for an assault by the LTTE.

Kumaratunga criticised Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's administration for not replenishing the military's armoury since the cease-fire was signed with the LTTE last February.

She said that the island's armed forces had ammunition sufficient for 10 days if the LTTE launched a sudden attack.

"Half the fighting craft and fighter planes are unfit for use since the Government had not purchased the required spare parts during the past few month," she claimed.

It is not immediately known if the President's observation at the SLFP rally was a statement of military fact or her known resort to political rhetoric to convey a hard message to the masses, press reports said.

Kumaratunga, who is bitterly opposed to Wickremesinghe's negotiations with the LTTE, has repeatedly warned she would use her considerable authority and dismiss the government if its actions, in her view, threaten national security.

"Action taken to solve the ethnic issue is acceptable to us but the Sri Lanka Freedom Party opposes the moves to betray the country by allowing every thing in the name of the peace" she said.

The President's latest attack comes as the PA and the Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP), the third force in Sinhala politics, inch closer towards a political alliance to overthrow the UNF. Both advocate hardline positions on the Tamil question.

Sino-Indian ties ‘transformed’

India's relationship with China, long bedeviled by mutual suspicion and border disputes, has been transformed by a determination to cooperate and deal with problems, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said on Tuesday.

"I must say, with great satisfaction, that my meetings with the leadership of China have been excellent," Reuters quoted him as saying as the two countries prepared to issue a declaration expected to give a push to resolving territorial disputes.

"They have confirmed the desire to build stable, enduring and forward-looking ties of friendships shared by the highest political levels in both countries," he said after talks with ex- President Jiang Zemin, who commands China's vast military.

"Our present course of developing all-round bilateral cooperation while simultaneously addressing our differences has transformed the quality of our relationship," Vajpayee said.

The two countries signed the declaration Monday. They refused to make it public immediately, but officials from both sides said they expected it to help them work to resolve disputes over their border, which crosses some of the world's most mountainous and remote terrain.

Nuclear-armed China and India fought a brief border war in 1962 and despite a thaw in relations, and years of talks, have failed to pin down exactly where their 3,500 km (2,175 mile) border lies.

Vajpayee, making the first trip to China by an Indian prime minister in a decade, declared the era of mutual suspicion dead Monday.

During his busy six-day visit, he is also due to meet President Hu Jintao, who took over in March, and Vice President Zeng Qinghong.

The two neighbors, who-se combined populations comprise a third of humanity, signed a series of agreements Monday laying out their vision of a new, closer relationship. The official China Daily said ties with India had entered a new phase after New Delhi explicitly recognized Tibet as part of China in the declaration.

China has long resented India's decision to give shelter to the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, following a 1959 revolt against Chinese rule.

Sri Lanka is safe for asylum seekers, says UK

Britain is to close the door on thousands of asylum seekers by adding seven countries, including Sri Lanka, to its "whitelist" of countries presumed to be safe, but the Refugee Council and Amnesty International criticised the decision, The Guardian newspaper reported.

The immigration minister, Beverley Hughes, said the countries involved were regarded as "generally safe". Asylum seekers from whitelist states have their applications dealt with within 10 days at Oakington fast-track reception centre near Cambridge, and have no right of appeal while they remain in Britain.

The seven new whitelist countries are Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Ukraine. Asylum applications from 24 countries are now presumed to be unfounded by the Home Office under the scheme, which was introduced in November.

When the whitelist was introduced in November, monthly asylum applications from the original 10 countries fell from 285 to 40.

Last year 4,980 asylum seekers came to Britain from the seven countries - the bulk of them, 3,180, from Sri Lanka. A total of 820 from the seven countries were given permission to remain in Britain. A further 170 from Sri Lanka were given permission to stay in the first three months of this year under appeal rights which are to be changed.

"This is part of our continuing drive to stop the widespread abuse of our asylum system," Ms Hughes said. "The countries that we are adding to the list are generally safe - individuals from these countries are not routinely fleeing for their lives and do not routinely need our protection under the Geneva convention."

The decision to list Sri Lanka comes amid the peace process there. The Home Office said between January and March only 2% of applicants from Sri Lanka had been given refugee status.

Margaret Lally of the Refugee Council said the worrying assumption that asylum seekers were now guilty until proven innocent could mean vulnerable individuals were sent home to face the persecution they had fled from. "The inclusion of Sri Lanka on the list proves once again that the government does not take the protection of refugees seriously," she said. "The situation remains fragile and many individuals are still at risk, evidenced by the 170 successful appeals in the first three months of this year."

Amnesty pointed out it had been the second extension of the whitelist in four months. "The fear is that the UK government is closing its mind to asylum applications from whole swaths of the world," a spokesman said.

The whitelist announcement was made as the shadow home secretary, Oliver Letwin, gave details of the main opposition Conservative party's new asylum policy to the Commons home affairs select committee.

He said a Tory government would fix a provisional annual quota of 20,000 recognised refugees who would be allowed into Britain. Any other asylum seekers who arrived in Britain would be deported within 24 hours to offshore processing camps, possibly in Albania but certainly "economically unattractive" places outside the EU, to have their applications decided by officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

JVP seeks alliance presidency

The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party is demanding the post of president in the proposed coalition with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), reported the Sunday Times. The coalition is intended to pose a formidable challenge to the ruling United National Front (UNF) government.

The JVP's demands prompted the SLFP to create a new position with wide powers to accommodate President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The JVP is reported to be unwilling to accept a vice president's post as suggested earlier and is demanding that the post of coalition president be given to it.

The JVP had earlier wanted the post of general secretary but with resistance from SLFP frontliners, the JVP later sought the creation of a powerful new post in the proposed alliance.

The demand came as the structure of the alliance was being finalised and the SLFP has now decided to concede to the JVP's demand but create an equally powerful post for President Kumaratunga, the paper quoted party sources as saying.

The JVP also made a demand that though the General Secretary in the party has the final say under election laws, such decisions in the new coalition should be taken by both the General Secretary and the highest ranking JVPer in the coalition. The clause has already been incorporated into the draft agreement.

According to SLFP sources Anura Bandaranaike is tipped to be the General Secretary of the alliance. SLFP members supporting the move said he was being favoured as he held no prominent position in the party and as the JVP was also supportive of him.

Mr. Bandaranaike told the paper he was the person behind the building of this coalition and he attended JVP rallies though people in his own party were critical of his move.

Meanwhile Nandana Gunathilake is tipped to be named the JVP candidate for the post of president in the new coalition. This is based on the JVP policy that Tilvin Silva should confine himself to the General Secretary's position while Wimal Weerawansa will continue as JVP's Propaganda Secretary.

Anura Dissanayake is the head of the political committee. The SLFP's Mangala Samaraweera is tipped to be the treasurer of the new SLFP- JVP coalition.

Meanwhile Mr. Samaraweera has begun attending SLFP-JVP meetings from 16 June. Mr. Samaraweera said the policy agreement between the parties had been finalized and that the technical details were being discussed in the second round. The President was hopeful that the deal could be signed by mid July.

Marxists urge Chandrika to take ministry

The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) asked President Chandrika Kumaratunga to take over the portfolio of Interior Ministry, which is responsible for the police, from the ruling United National Front (UNF) government, after citing the ministry's failure to provide protection for opposition politicians, Gulf News reported last week.

The demand came in the wake of the murder of an opposition provincial councillor in the outskirts of the capital. The JVP, the second largest opposition party in parliament, asked the President to make use of her executive powers and take over the Interior Ministry portfolio from Minister John Amaratunga because the police have been repeatedly failing to provide adequate security to opposition polticians.

The call came as police dogs called into the scene of the crime had thrice proceeded towards the residence of a government party politician in the area. However, the police said that was no indication that the government party was involved in the slaying, but added that it would be useful in their investigations.

Deputy Inspector General (Western Province-North) Padmasiri Liyanage said that four special police teams have been deployed to investigate the murder of Sunil Mendis. Police have not ruled out that a political dispute in the Western Provincial Council led to the assassination.

Under the existing constitution, Kumaratunga has the powers to take over a ministry. She had threatened to take over the Interior and the Mass Communication (Media) ministry but has so far not resorted to carrying out her threat.

Meanwhile, the government condemned an incident where the president's Peoples Alliance (PA) party and the JVP staged a mock funeral procession in parliament interrupting proceedings. PA and JVP MPs attired in black walked into the chamber carrying a small coffin. They aimed sarcastic comments at Interior Minister John Amaratunga and then senior PA MP D. M. Jayaratne made a speech in the form of a funeral oration in memory of PA provincial council members M. K. Ranjith and Sunil Mendis who were killed recently.

US destroyer docks in Sri Lanka

A US Navy guided missile destroyer with 350 crew members has docked at Colombo's port, the Associated Press quoted the US Embassy as saying on Friday.

The embassy called it a "routine visit". Since the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam signed a cease-fire in February 2002 halting the island's protracted civil war, US Navy ships began calling on the Colombo port again after a break of eight years.

The destroyer, USS O'Kane, is the third US ship to visit Colombo since the cease-fire. Commissioned in 1999, the USS O'Kane is based in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

The ship's mission "is to be prepared to conduct prompt, sustained combat operations at sea," the embassy statement said, but did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, an Australian naval ship, HMAS Kanimbla, visited Colombo last week. The visit provided an opportunity for recreation and sightseeing in Sri Lanka, states an Australian High Commission Press release. The Navy and Army Commanders and other senior Sri Lankan officers, together with the Leader of the Opposition, were given an official tour of the ship.

HMAS Kanimbla is a sea transport ship of approximately 160 metres in length. 350 personnel are on board, under the command of Royal Australian Navy Commander David McCourt. The ship is based in Sydney.

CWC protests against Kotmale Project

Housing and Estate Infra-structure Minister, Arumugam Thondaman, said that the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) is organizing a protest rally calling for the abandonment of the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project on the 23 June in Nuwareliya District, TamilNet news agency reported.

"Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Asgiriya Malwatte Mahanayake Theras have clearly articulated the dangers and destruction posed to the environment and people of Nuwareliya by this hydro power project.

The Prime Minister has assured us that he will not allow the project to be carried out. However, there are forces trying to initiate the project clandestinely. The Ministry trying to restart the project will bear responsibility to the damages," said Mr. Thondaman, who is also the President of the CWC, a party which draws a large part of its support from hill country Tamils.

Thondaman called on all working for the upliftment of the hill country Tamils to join in the one-day work stoppage and protest.

Upper Kotmale is a 150 MW plant hydropower project proposed by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) which is a Government Agency responsible for generation of electricity in Sri Lanka. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project was submitted for approval of the Ministry of Irrigation Power and Energy in December 1994 and Central Environmental Authority was the concurrent agency. The project was approved in 1998.

Protestors demand cancellation of the project citing a number of negative consequences, including the destruction of waterfalls, possible earth slides / erosion and damage to the lifestyle of the people in the region.

PM visits British counterpart

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was in London to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other senior British officials in order to discuss aid, refugees and other issues. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando and the government's two main negotiators G. L. Peiris and Milinda Moragoda.

The Sri Lankan delegation met Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Home Secretary David Blunkett. The delegation also met Baroness Amos, the International Development Secretary who succeeded Claire Short who resigned recently over differences with Mr. Blair over developments in the aftermath of the war on Iraq. The British component of the reconstruction aid pledged at the Tokyo conference this month would be channelled through the Department for International Development.

There was speculation in the Sri Lankan press that Minister Moragoda's arrival in London ahead of the prime ministerial party was perhaps to sort out certain logistics with Mr. Wickremesinghe also addressing the London Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe is reportedly seeking expert legal advice in London before formulating his government's fresh proposals to meet the Liberation Tigers' demand for a politico administrative interim structure for the Northeast.

Mr. Wickremesinghe is said to be accompanied by Attorney General K.C. Kamalasabayson during his trip for this purpose.

The fresh proposals will take into consideration the expert opinion to be obtained from British legal and constitutional experts. The Attorney General's presence is to ensure the broadest possible consideration is given to meet the demands placed by the LTTE.

This is whilst maintaining the twin objectives of ensuring that the fresh proposals are within the confines of the constitution and meet the aspirations of all communities.

Ranil to meet Bush

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to meet US President George W Bush in Washington in September during his US visit to address the United Nations General Assembly which will open on September 16.

The Premier was invited to address the UN General Assembly by UN Secretary General Koffi Annan during his previous US visit last year. Economic Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda who is now in Greece will fly to Washington to make preparations for this meeting, a senior government official told the Daily News.

Sri Lankan Navy chief visits US HQ

Sri Lankan Navy Commander Daya Sandagiri accompanied by Ambassador Devinda R. Subasinghe completed a visit to the US Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii, reported the Daily Mirror on Friday.

The visit from June 11 to 14 came as a result of an earlier visit by Minister Milinda Moragoda.

The Sri Lankan embassy in the US in a statement said the delegation also comprised Brigadier Rohan Jayasinghe, Defence Attaché for Sri Lanka in the US and Captain Shirantha Udawatte of the Sri Lanka Navy.

The statement said, "Ambassador Subasinghe and the delegation had a series of meetings with US Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, Commander Pacific Command and many other senior flag rank officers including Admiral Walter Doran -Commander Pacific Fleet, General William Begert - Commander Pacific Air Force and Major General Craig Wheldon - Deputy Commander of the Pacific Army.

"US armed forces conduct joint training exercises with their Sri Lankan counterparts as a regular feature with Exercise BALANCE STYLE being the largest. Port calls by US naval vessels have become frequent. In March 2003, the US announced the transfer of the US Coast Guard Cutter "Courageous" to the Sri Lankan Navy.

"Pacific Command is also home to the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies (APCSS) which provides academic training to over 20 senior Armed Forces and Police officers from Sri Lanka on an annual basis. Invited to deliver a speech at this prestigious institution, the Ambassador spoke on "Securing Peace in a Troubled World : The Case of Sri Lanka and its Quest for Peace".

"The visit also focused on current and future mutual co-operation and training with US Armed Forces and covered other related issues".

Top intelligence officer shot dead

Sri Lankan police this week intensified investigations into reports of Tamil Tiger hit squads after a top intelligence officer was shot dead in a daring attack blamed on a double agent he was supervising, reports said.

Detectives were questioning the man who allegedly killed inspector Sunil Thabrew at a police station just outside the capital Monday, officials said.

Inspector Sunil N. Thabrew was shot in the head while he was asleep at the Dehiwala police station, officials said, adding the attacker was caught as he tried to escape in a taxi.

"Police chased the suspect and arrested him," a police spokesman said. "He tried to take cyanide to avoid being captured, but our people stopped him in the nick of time and also found the pistol used in the killing."

Inspector General of Police, T. E. Anandarajah said that suspect, identified as Kirupakaran Mulliyavalai, was a former LTTE member who had been deployed by Thabrew as a police decoy, The Island newspaper reported.

Kirupakaran, a frequent visitor and informant about LTTE to the police station had been holding conversation with the victim minutes before the attack, police said.

Thabrew, hailing from Kosgoda, Galle was described as a very efficient officer who had gathered information on the LTTE.

WB grants $125m poverty credit

The World Bank has decided to grant Sri Lanka a sum of US $ 125 million (Rs.12,000 million) as Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC), reported the Daily News last Thursday. The decision was taken by the Executive Board of the World Bank in Washington.

"This is the first occasion that the World Bank has made available to Sri Lanka such credit" Finance Minister K. N. Choksy said. Funds are disbursed through the International Development Association on concessionary terms, and repayable in 30 years, with the ten years grace period, Minister Choksy added.

The credit was negotiated by the Ministry of Finance in conjunction with the Ministry of Policy Development and Implementation with high ranking officials of the World Bank who visited Sri Lanka for discussion earlier this year.

The Minister added that discussions have already taken place between Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe and himself with a view to setting up a Development Agency to fast track and make the utilization of the foreign grants and aids presently available to the country, including the large sum of US$ 4.4 Billion (Rs. 400,000 million) pledged in Tokyo.

SLMM asked to stop new army camps in Jaffna

The Liberation Tigers last Tuesday asked the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to take immediate steps to stop the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from establishing new camps in the peninsula and disrupting the normal life of the people in the name of strengthening security, reported TamilNet.

The LTTE's political activists in Jaffna, led by the district's political head Mr. C. Ilamparuthi, made the request at a discussion at the political office of the LTTE in Jaffna. The head of the SLMM in Jaffna, Ms. Careena Ericsson, participated in the discussion. The LTTE team comprised Mr. Ilamparuthi, Mr. Nishanthan and Mr. Suthas, all from the political wing of the organisation.

The discussion centred on the latest developments in the Jaffna district, the LTTE said in a press release Tuesday evening.

The press release said that the LTTE team had asked the SLMM to look into the checking by the SLA, which "has curtailed the freedom of movement of the LTTE activists carrying out their political activities".

"The SLA should stop this type of checking immediately," said the release, which also asked that the "SLA should immediately stop provoking people, assaulting and using firearms against them."

"SLA should stop harassing and disturbing the normal life of the people in the name of strengthening security. Establishing new camps is a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Hence SLA should stop constructing new camps in the peninsula," said the press release.

In the press release, the LTTE went on to state "We are not involved in any murders. We deny all allegations made against the LTTE regarding such killings."

The SLMM was asked to ensure that such acts of the SLA should not continue in the future. However the SLMM delegation told the LTTE that they would reply after holding talks with the SLA authorities regarding these requests, the LTTE press release said.

Meanwhile, the SLA Thursday commenced constructing new camps and sentries in Amban, Kudathanai and Manalkadu areas in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district.

In Jaffna town, the SLA started work on constructing checkpoints at Colombagam close to Third Cross Street Thursday. Soldiers brought barbed wire rolls and other materials needed for the construction, residents told TamilNet.

When several civil organizations are demanding the reopening of the Colombagam main road for the public use, the construction of new sentries in Colombagam has caused concern among the residents of the area, who saw several SLA armoured vehicles patrolling the area Thursday.

LTTE condemns SLA intimidation

The Liberation Tigers Saturday complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are intimidating its members and the public in Jaffna district, reported TamilNet.

The LTTE Jaffna district political office said in its complaint that when the head of the Vadamarachchi war memorial and members of the public were clearing the memorial premises Friday morning eight armed SLA soldiers arrived in four field motorbikes at high speed, stopped at the entrance to the war memorial and threatened the members of the public.

The SLA soldiers left the area after spitting on the ground. They behaved indecently, LTTE Jaffna district political authorities told the SLMM.

"SLA soldiers are violating the spirit of the ceasefire agreement in Jaffna by intimidating members of LTTE and public in Jaffna district. We severely condemn this provocative act of the SLA soldiers, "said LTTE to the SLMM.

Meanwhile, Point Pedro harbour workers in the Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district Saturday went on strike protesting against body checks by SLA soldiers. This brought the unloading of cargo from two vessels anchored in the harbour to a standstill.

While the workers were at work on Saturday, the SLA ordered them at around 8.30 am to assemble in the open space near the port for body checking. The workers immediately protested against the SLA order and refused to continue their work. They said they would not continue until the harassment by the SLA is stopped.

The two vessels anchored in Point Pedro harbour left for Kankesanthurai harbour to unload the cargo.

In other news, the LTTE office in Nallur, Jaffna, was subjected to a grenade attack Thursday evening, but no damage was caused as the grenade failed to explode.

Two unidentified men wearing helmets and riding a new model motorbike without any license plates were witnessed to have lobbed the grenade at the office whilst travelling at high speed. The grenade hit the name board of the office and landed across the entrance.

At that time members of the public and LTTE political activists were seated inside the office. One LTTE member was outside on Wyman road and witnessed the incident. Following notification to the SLMM, their officials and police attended the scene and had discussions with LTTE's Nallur region head for political affairs, Mr. Easwaran.

After deliberations it was agreed that trained personnel from the Sri Lanka Army would remove the grenade.

New checkpoints, more troops in Jaffna

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna district is establishing new checkpoints and strengthening its existing camps and sentries, civilian sources in Jaffna told TamilNet. Additional troops have been deployed in Vadamarachchi and Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district.

Civilians are now subjected to severe checks at sentry points. They are asked to get down from buses and show their identity cards.

Another report said the SLA last Monday started constructing a new big camp at Murugamoorthy temple area in Thenmaradchchi division.

SLA soldiers are also constructing new sentry points and barbed wire fences along the coast from Gurunagar to Manippuri, reported the Uthayan. Locals report the SLA has even got special power lines to the Elilur area of Columbuthurai to help with the construction, even though the area still remains without power. Locals have also complained that the soldiers have started regularly checking their identity cards.

Meanwhile the Liberation Tigers last weekend complained to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the SLA is violating the ceasefire agreement by checking civilians who pass through main checkpoints at Vallai on Jaffna-Point Pedro road, Ayam on Point Pedro-Chavakachcheri road and Mulli on Point Pedro Kodikamam road.

The newly appointed head of the SLMM in Jaffna Ms Carenna Ericson paid a courtesy call to the LTTE Vadamarachchi division political office last Saturday. LTTE activists told her that army field groups are engaged in patrolling the area in a way intimidating the civilians. Members of army intelligence also frequently interfere in civilian life, they said. Ms. Ericson suggested that both parties should meet and resolve problems through talks. However the LTTE activists told the SLMM head that army has failed to implement decisions arrived at earlier talks held between the SLA and LTTE.

Army violence condemned

Two Jaffna based civil society organisation have condemned several violent acts committed by the Sri Lanka military and accused the United National Front (UNF) government of failing to create a conducive atmosphere .

The Confederation of Jaffna District Public Organization (CJDPO) last weekend condemned several violent Sri Lanka government troops committed over the course of the weekend against Liberation Tigers political activists and their offices in the Valigamam division.

The CJDPO, in a statements issued Sunday night, warned that it would be forced to launch a country wide protest campaign against the government if such acts by the security forces continue unabated, sources said.

"The government cannot achieve anything by endorsing violent acts by the security forces against the LTTE. How could the government strengthen the peace process if it adopts a wait and see policy at a time anti-peace elements have deployed their might to derail the peace process?" said the statement.

"Tamil people condemn such violent acts of the security forces against LTTE activists and civilians who are engaged in political activities under the ceasefire agreement," the statement added.

Meanwhile the Federation of the Jaffna District Minibus Association (FJDMA) last weekend told the UNF government that it has failed to create a conducive situation in the northeast province enabling the internally displaced families to return to their villages.

"Instead the government is insisting on maintaining the high security zones in residential areas according to the agenda of its military," the Federation said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of internally displaced Tamil families were expecting to return to their own villages and cultivate their fertile lands sixteen months ago when the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers signed a truce agreement. However

The government shown no interest in alleviating the difficulties of the internally displaced people (IDPs), who had expected to return to their own villages and cultivate their fertile lands sixteen months ago when the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers signed a truce agreement, said the statement.

Citing the failure to remove high security zones (HSZ) as an example of this lack of interest, the statement said, "The government appears to be dictated by the agenda of the military in maintaining the HSZ in the province."

Peninsula prepares for Pongu Thamil celebrations

Jaffna residents are preparing to conduct street dramas and other cultural uprising events across the district at village level for the second Pongu Thamil celebrations to be held on the 27 June, reports from Jaffna said.

"We want our land," has been decided as the theme of the celebrations during the first anniversary celebrations held on 17 January at the Jaffna University grounds. More than 600 student activists are campaigning across the villages of Jaffna discussing with village level civil organizations and public on the importance of the event to the Tamil people and requesting their co-operation, reported TamilNet.

In a memorandum issued by the undergraduates of the Jaffna campus, the students said, "Pongu Thamil event is a non-violent event and is being organized as a vehicle for expressing to the cultural feelings of the Tamil people. During the morning on the day of the event, celebrations will take place at the school level where in addition to talks by the principal and teachers, students will read poetry, speak and widely participate in musical events.

"During meetings held in Vadamaradchy, Thenmaradchy, Islets, Jaffna and Maruthanamadam areas on Friday, where school principals, teachers, representatives of civil organizations, and students participated, it was decided to decorate Schools and Public institutions with Red/Yellow flags, mango-leaves and auspicious banana plants on the day of the event," said the release from Jaffna campus.

"To facilitate organized movement of people expected to participate in large numbers during the celebrations proper transportation arrangements are being organized. Parking areas for vehicles including motorbikes and bicycles are also being set up close to the venues of celebrations," said the memorandum.

"Soft drinks, snacks and drinking water facilities will be available within the campus grounds," the memorandum by the University students said.

Meanwhile, the Island Peoples' Welfare Association (IPWA) in Jaffna district last Wednesday extended its wholehearted co-operation to the success of Pongu Thamil celebration.

The IPWA said in a press release that the time has come for the people of Jaffna peninsula to rise to the occasion to send back government troops from houses belonging to internally displaced families enabling the families to resettle.

The statement further states, "normalcy has not returned in our lives even after a year and a half has passed since the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and this has led to the breakdown of the peace talks. Dangerous trend has emerged in the province due to this."

"Internally displaced people are still languishing in refugees camps and welfare centres as they are unable to return to their villages and earn a living because government troops are still occupying civilian homes, agricultural lands, industrial establishments, schools, temples and fisheries landing points in the peninsula," said the statement.

"At this critical time Tamils in the peninsula should rally round under one flag and tell the Sri Lanka Government troops to leave our homes in the district. We should organize ourselves highlight our plight to the international community," said the press release issued by the IPWA.

Meanwhile the Jaffna District Agricultural and Consumer Co-operative Societies Union Sunday expressed its fullest co-operation for the success of the Pongu Thamil celebrations.

Land issues discussed in Tamil, Muslim meet

Issues of problems caused by Muslim settlements and the fate of original inhabitants were taken up at a meeting of the subcommittee on Tamil-Muslim land issues in Batticaloa held at the Valaichenai divisional secretariat last Tuesday. The committee addresses issues in Koralaipattu East (Valaichenai), Koralaipattu North (Vakarai), Koralaipattu South (Kiran), Koralaipattu West (Ottamavady) divisions of the Batticaloa district.

Representing Tamils, Mr. K. Nizam, the head of the LTTE's treasury division, led a team that included Mr. S. Thothiran, the head of the political wing for Aandankulakoddai, Mr. S. Chandramohan, Mr. S. Jeyanandamoorthy, Mr. Muthumathavan, Mr. K. Nallaratnam, Mr. S. Sukumar and Mr. S. Sivalingam.

The Muslim delegation, led by Mr. M. T. M. Fareed, the regional organizer of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), included Mr. M. K. M. Muhaideen, Mr. M. L. M. Hussein, Mr. A. B. M. Buhari, Mr. M. S. A. Cader, Mr. M. I. Ahmedlebbe, Mr. S. L. M. Zubair, Mr. B. M. M. Ismail, Mr. M. S. Meerasahib and Mr. M. L. Fowsul Ameen.

The Valaichenai divisional secretary, Ms. Kalamany Pathmarajah, chaired the meeting and Ms. Vasuky Arulrajah, the Kiran divisional secretary, also participated.

Land issues, in particular the problems caused by Muslim settlements at the border of Karuvakerny village and the problems of the Tamil people who originally lived in Ottamavady, were taken up for discussion at the meeting, the sources said.

Ottamavady is currently a Muslim village. But prior to 1983, many Tamil families lived in the village. However, following violence against Tamil people by Muslims in the village forced the Tamils to seek temporary shelter in Karuvakerny, where they are still living. A Pillaiyar temple in Ottamavady was destroyed and a fish market was constructed on the temple land, and the general cemetery for Tamil people in the village was destroyed two years ago to construct the divisional secretariat office, a post office and a library.

The Tamil people have objected to the new construction of a mosque at the entrance to the Paper corporation factory in Valaichenai.

Though no final decision was arrived at the meeting, it was decided to contact the government agent on strengthening the Karuvakerny village border, to contact land officials to make a final decision on the cemetery land and at least provide compensation to the people, and to temporarily stop the construction of the mosque. The remaining issues are to be taken up in a meeting next month, reported TamilNet.

Meanwhile, a meeting was held at Sengalady District Council last Thursday with a view to strengthen relations between Tamils and Muslims in Eravur, reported Paadumeen.

Eravurpatru District Councillor Mr. Mahesan, Eravur Town District Secretary Mr. Vimaleswaran, Liberation Tigers' Batticaloa-Amparai Finance Head Mr. Subi, representatives of Tamil community organisations and Muslim groups led by Mr. Kathar Master took parting the discussions.

The Muslim delegation promised to work towards removing police posts in the area so that displaced Tamils could resettle in their homes. The committee will also visit places and try to solve disputes where Tamils allege Muslims have taken over their lands.

Education officials discuss improvements

Principals and Education Officials from Batticaloa-Amparai district met at the Thenakam Rest House meeting Hall in Karadiyanaru on June 15 to discuss steps to be taken to monitor progress and to improve the general level education in the district, reported Paadumeen.

Mr. E. Kausalyan, the head of the Liberation Tigers political wing in Batticaloa-Amparai, presided over the event. Batticalo-Amparai senior commander Colonel Karuna, Batticaloa District Education Commissioner Mr. Pavalananthan, Special Women's Commander Ms. Nilavini, Education Sector official Mr. Varathan, as well as other commanders, regional education officials and heads took part in the meeting.

Topics including education development in the region and economic development were discussed at the meeting.

Colonel Karuna said in his speech there that the Liberation Tigers were concerned that the legacy of war should not be handed over to the next generation. He blamed the current indecision of Sri Lanka Prime Minister on his government's weakness.

"The north and east have not seen development despite six rounds of talks. Large funds were received at Tokyo only because we stopped the war. 65% of that has been promised as loans. The government didn't grant sufficient powers to SIHRN to develop the north and east," Col. Karuna said.

"The Sri Lanka government has said it will give us some powers through a development body. But we will never accept that. Only an interim administration will enable proper schemes to be drawn and worked upon. Intellectuals and the ordinary public must press the government on this if our call is to gain strength," he said. "The international community has accepted us because of our justifiable demands and our firmness. We will not support any political party in the south. Our needs are our people's rights," Col. Karuna said.

"There is a sea change amongst the Sinhala people today. They understand that our sole aim is not war and that we were forced into fighting," he noted.

"The current government doesn't have the power to take decisive actions. There is the PA on one front and the JVP on the other. All we ask are our people's rights. The war in East Timor was brought to an end and the problem was solved once and for all. But the people were not there to see their liberation. We do not wish for a similar fate. We do not wish to involve ourselves in talks that solve nothing," Col. Karuna said.

Women’s issues raised at meeting

The Batticaloa Women's Movement for Social Upliftment met with Colonel Karuna and other senior officials of the Liberation Tigers in the meeting hall of the Thenakam Rest House in Karadiyanaru, Batticaloa Friday to discuss issues confronting women including employment opportunities, education, and welfare of single parent families.

Batticaloa-Ampara Special Commander of the Liberation Tigers Mr. Ramesh, Batticaloa-Ampara LTTE military commander of the women's wing Ms. Nilavini, Batticaloa-Ampara head of the LTTE's political wing Mr. Kausalyan, and Batticaloa-Ampara head of the LTTE's women's political wing Ms. Premini participated in the discussions. Three hundred members of the Batticaloa Women's Movement for Social Upliftment were also present.

Discussions focused on strengthening the movement, the current political climate and creating more awareness amongst the general public about women's issues.

Speaking at the event, Col. Karuna told the audience that they could have complete trust in the calm and well thought decisions taken by the Tamil national leader on all issues concerning the people of Batticaloa and Ampara.

He urged them therefore to channel their efforts towards the social upliftment of the wider community, education and stamping out social ills. Mr. Kausalyan gave a vote of thanks and the two and a half hour meeting concluded at around 10.30pm after dinner.

Indian deminers in Vavuniya

Two Indian demining agencies will commence operations on the Vavuniya-Mannar road before the end of June. Horizon was to begin its work on Monday, while Sarvatra is due to start next Monday, reported the Sudaroli.

Horizon's head Major General (Retd) Sasikantha Bidre denied suggestions that Horizon had links with the Indian military and the government. He said his organisation was impartial and consisted of mostly of former Indian army officials as they naturally had experience dealing with explosives.

"Although most were soldiers once, they have all now retired and received special training to handle explosives safely. We have no links with the Indian government or the military. The Norway government chosen us on the basis that we are a qualified international demining specialists," he said.

"A group of thirty, made up of experts and their assistants, will be put to work first. Twenty locals selected by the Norwegians will also be trained and assimilated into the team," he said.

"We have been asked to work for six months initially. It may be extended if necessary. We are prepared to work anywhere in Sri Lanka. We have no restrictions. If the relevant parties invite as through the proper channels we will be ready to work for them," he said.

"Our team will include a doctor to look after any of our medical needs. We will establish a small medical facility where he resides so he can dispense his services to the local populace as well," General Bidre noted.

"Our humanitarian work is reliant on the public's support and cooperation. We can do our job quickly and effectively with their support and assure them protection from unexploded ordinance soon," he said.

General Bidre retired from the Indian army in 1998 and has published books narrating his experiences in the army, before founding the Horizon Trust two years ago.

Expanding university seeks funds

With admissions picking up, cash-strapped Jaffna University is struggling to make ends meet, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported

Meanwhile thirty Sinhala undergraduates have enrolled for studies at the University of Jaffna after the cease-fire agreement with the LTTE was signed, the paper reported.

Currently 6260 undergraduates are studying at the university. Besides, 953 students read for Post Graduate Programmes at the university. The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. S. Mohandas told the Daily Mirror that the institution did not have adequate funds to ad-dress the issues of the university.

Prof. Mohandas said he made a request to the University Grants Commission to provide us with adequate funds to remedy this situation. "We have received so-me positive indications from the relevant authorities for our pleadings," he said.

"We have no hostel facilities. We have been unable to accommodate about 1000 undergraduates who are eligible for that," he said.

Prof. Mohandas was optimistic about a positive outcome for the request for more funds. "We seeking the approval from the University Grants Commission to start a Faculty of Fisheries because this area is favourable for fishing industry. Further we want to teach Marine Science here as our area is surrounded by sea," he said.

Tamil lecturers have often protested the shortage of staff and funds at Universities in the Tamil areas.

"Shortage of academic and non-academic staff in Universities in the northeast province has a crippling effect on the academic growth of students and the general progress of the campuses," says Mr.S. Yogarajah, senior lecturer in the Tamil department of the East University of Sri Lanka.

"Quite often the lecturers and other academic staff are forced to carry out clerical tasks," he said.

‘Poverty led to rise in petty crime’

A senior Tamil Eelam judge told the Jaffna Tamil daily Uthayan that cases already registered in Sri Lanka courts in government-controlled areas will first have to be withdrawn if the same defendants are to be tried in Tamil Eelam courts and that poverty has caused a rise in minor crimes.

Kilinochchi District Judge Mr Senthur said lawyers wishing to try defendants who are currently living in Liberation Tiger-controlled areas after committing a crime outside will first have to withdraw and charges they have pressed with the Sri Lanka judiciary. Those who pursue dual processes will be reprimanded, he said.

To file charges with a Tamil Eelam court all evidence will have to be deposited with the Tamil Eelam judiciary, he said.

The judge also promised that severe action would be taken against those remarrying without getting a proper divorce. He said there have been several recent cases of men entering Liberation Tiger-controlled areas and committing bigamy, with or without the knowledge of the woman concerned.

Urging both sides to adhere to the law, Judge Senthur highlighted the case of a 55 year-old father of six from Jaffna marrying a woman in Kilinochchi. "He was jailed for three months and fined Rs 2,500 after his first wife filed a complaint with the Tamil Eelam police in Kilinochchi. He was also ordered to take on the costs during pregnancy of his second wife and register himself as the father of the child."

The judge blamed poverty for a spate of minor crimes. "A group of five school children were recently nabbed by Tamil Eelam police while pick pocketing," he said. "It then came to light the children committed the crimes out of sheer poverty. They were let off after their parents were brought before the court and warned that they would be punished if their children committed any more crimes."

SA human rights activist in Jaffna

An activist from the South African Human Rights Commission, Mr. Nagendran Kolappan, arrived in Jaffna Tuesday morning and held discussions with the representatives of Humanitarian Agencies, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, People's Organizations and local media persons at the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, reported TamilNet.

Representatives of Jaffna humanitarian agencies and other organizations briefed the visiting human rights activist about the ground situation in Jaffna since the ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers came into force.

The representatives pointed out that hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Tamil families are still languishing in welfare centres and refugee camps, as their own homes and agricultural lands are still occupied by the Sri Lanka Army in the name of high security zones.

The Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is without adequate staff and other facilities to handle human rights affairs in the peninsula, the representatives said.

They told Mr. Kolappan that action should be taken to strengthen the administration of the Jaffna HRC office to deal with the human rights situation.

Mr. Kolappan said that in South Africa, the human rights commission is well armed and very powerful in finding solutions to human rights problems. According to Mr. Kolappan, the people of South Africa expect the present peace talks in the island to succeed.

INTERNATIONAL

Foreign fighters add to resistance in Iraq - US

United States military commanders say foreign fighters are being actively recruited by loyalists to Saddam Hussein to join the resistance against American forces in Iraq , posing a new challenge to efforts to stabilize the country, the New Times reported last week.

Military officials say that American troops in Iraq have had to contend with Syrians, Saudis, Yemenis, Algerians, Lebanese and even Chechens. American officials assume the fighters are militants whose presence in Iraq is not state-sponsored.

Many of these fighters took up arms against the United States during the American thrust to Baghdad. But a significant number remain, and a new effort is under way to lure more to Iraq to join the fight against the Americans, officials say.

New evidence about the role of foreign fighters, including passports and other documents, was gathered after the American air and ground attack last week on a militant camp at Rawa, about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad. According to American military commanders, two wounded foreigners were also captured - a Saudi and a Syrian.

American officials said the two captives had told them that they were offered money to come to Iraq and kill American soldiers.

Foreign fighters played an important role during the war. But what is significant now, American military officials say, is that foreign fighters continue to play an active role in Iraq and continue to be recruited for pay or to join in a new struggle against the Americans.

This indicates a considerable degree of organization behind the resistance against the American presence, though officials say it does not appear to be under the central control of a single leader or group.

It also points to an emerging threat to American forces. Militants who want to strike against American targets no longer need to travel to Persian Gulf states. They can accomplish that in Iraq, where there are 145,000 American troops and a growing core of civilian administrators and experts.

The American military has been trying to track the fighters and has been attacking them when they find them. The goal is to demonstrate that the fighters have no hope of evicting American forces from Iraq and to prevent Iraq from becoming a magnet for Islamic militants. The goal of the foreign fighters, for their part, seems to be to raise the American casualty toll and to create pressure on the Americans to withdraw.

"Their goal is to break our will and persuade us to prepare an exit strategy," a Washington-based official said.

The failure to find Mr. Hussein is also a factor in attracting foreign fighters. Whether he is alive is uncertain, but the inability of the allies to find him has enabled Iraqi insurgents to continue invoking his name as a rallying cry.

Maj. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the commander of the Fourth Infantry Division, which is deployed north of Baghdad, said that his soldiers had been successful in reducing infiltration across the Iran-Iraq border and that he thought progress had been made in controlling Iraq's border with Syria. But the western part of Iraq is still a dangerous region.

A Defense Department official said there had been 131 incidents of conflict involving American forces in Iraq over the last two weeks, only about 40 percent of which had been initiated by American forces.

"There are clearly more foreign fighters in the country than we ever knew, and they're popping up all over," a senior Defense Department official told the New York Times.

Chronic poverty in southern Iraq may worsen

Nearly one in every five Iraqis living in the southern half of the country suffers from chronic poverty, the World Food Program told the Associated Press last Thursday, warning that the situation could worsen in the aftermath of the war.

A survey by the UN agency two months before the fall of Baghdad to US-led forces revealed that 4.6 million of the 22.3 million Iraqis living in the 15 southern and central provinces had an "alarming dependency on the monthly food rations," said Torben Due, the WFP representative in Iraq. The three Iraqi Kurdish provinces that have been out of the central government's control since the end of the 1991 Gulf war were excluded from the survey.

"About 13 years of stringent economic sanctions, three wars in two decades and failing economic policies have impoverished a majority of the Iraqi people and reduced them to relying heavily on free food handouts," the agency statement said.

More than half of Iraqis were totally dependent for their survival on food rations distributed under the oil-for-food program, the agency said. Despite years of food aid, 20 percent of those surveyed cannot meet their basic needs of food, water, clothing, health or education, it said.

"This is a major cause for concern because all those people were found to be chronically poor even while their basic food needs were met every month free of charge," the agency said.

The instability that followed the ouster of Saddam Hussein in April likely would worsen the economic situation, it said. Weeks of fighting, looting and lawlessness have left much of Iraq's infrastructure destroyed, many people unemployed and food warehouses empty.

Disarm ‘enemy of peace’ Hamas, urges US

Calling Hamas an "enemy of peace," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday that the Palestinian Authority must take decisive steps to disarm the Islamic militant group, the Associated Press reported. He also backed Israel, which has said a cease-fire alone is not sufficient.

Powell spoke Friday at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who said no progress can be made on a U.S.-backed peace plan until Palestinian security forces fight the militias.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, is trying to negotiate a truce with Hamas and other armed groups, and has said he will not use force against them for fear of triggering a civil war.

Powell said the Palestinians must go beyond a truce and that he wanted to see Palestinians "bring violence under control, to end violence, not just through the means of having a cease-fire, but going beyond that ... to end violence and the capacity for violence."

"The enemy of peace has been Hamas," Powell said, adding that as long as the group remains committed to terror and violence, "this is a problem we have to deal with in its entirety."

Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in shootings and bombings in recent years. It has said it does not accept the "road map" peace plan, launched at a Mideast summit two weeks ago by President Bush.

Powell did not say how far he wants the Palestinians to go in a crackdown on armed groups.

Sharon said the Palestinians must realize that without a decisive war on terror, there will be no progress in peace talks.

"A true war on terrorism, on its infrastructure, on the entities that finance it, on those who initiate it and on the dispatchers, is the way to make way and move ahead in a sincere and genuine process," Sharon said.

Beyond the Israeli-Palestinian disagreement over the handling of the militias, the two sides also are at odds over Israel's targeted killings of wanted Palestinians and the scope of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

Both issues were discussed, without result, at a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian security officials and U.S. monitors late Thursday.

Palestinians say that in order to persuade militant groups, particularly Hamas, to accept a cease-fire deal, they need an Israeli guarantee that targeted killings will be halted.

Sharon refuses to give such a blanket promise, saying he reserves the right to go after "ticking bombs," a term generally understood to refer to an assailant about to carry out an attack. However, Sharon's aides have said this also applies to those planning attacks.

Reacting to Sharon's comments Friday, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas leader wounded last week in an Israeli missile strike meant to kill him, said that "such statements will not terrorize us and will not force us to stop our resistance to occupation."

Iran says US foiled over atomic censure

Iran welcomed on Friday an International Atomic Energy Agency statement on its nuclear activities and said the United States failed in its efforts to secure a tough resolution against the Islamic republic, Reuters reported.

But a leading member of President Bush's administration said on Friday the United States reserves the right to take military action to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons. "It has to be an option," John Bolton, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, told BBC radio when pressed on the issue. But he stressed that it was one among an array of possibilities and relatively low down the agenda.

"Generally the report was good and shows that Iran's activities and Iran's reports were effective," said Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. He said US efforts to step up pressure on Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is aimed at producing electricity, had been thwarted by it's friends on the IAEA board and Iran's cooperation with UN inspectors.

"America has carried out extensive propaganda for this meeting and we should acknowledge that our friends' efforts and the presentation of enough proofs and documents caused their failure," he told state television.

The IAEA's board of governors on Thursday criticized Iran's failure to comply with agreements designed to prevent the use of civilian nuclear resources to make atomic weapons. But the IAEA statement fell short of the damning resolution the United States had hoped for. Washington however quickly backed it and issued a fresh demand to Iran to comply with the watchdog.

The IAEA board also urged Iran not to introduce uranium to its enrichment facility at Natanz, which has centrifuges that experts believe could produce weapons-grade material. But Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Salehi, told reporters that Iran intended to press ahead with plans to eventually introduce nuclear material to the enrichment facility, which is legal as long as the IAEA has been informed.

The IAEA and many Western governments have told Iran the best way to dispel doubts about its nuclear ambitions would be to sign the IAEA's Additional Protocol. Iran has said it could sign if the IAEA grants it access to peaceful technology.

Colombia seizes AUC warlord

Colombian troops on Saturday seized a far-right warlord sought in the killings of 450 people in the river port of Barrancabermeja, shortly after a US official has met a representative of his paramilitary group.

Soldiers grabbed Said Sepulveda, a member of the outlawed United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC.

Sepulveda commanded 200 fighters in the city dominated by an oil refinery on the banks of the Magdalena River, Reuters quoted the army as saying.

The AUC has killed hundreds of people it suspects of being leftists as it pushed into Barrancabermeja, a former stronghold of leftist rebels, over the past few years. Paramilitary units equipped with cell phones and guns took over the city's scruffy neighborhoods, monitoring traffic, punishing civilians for crimes and killing suspected leftists.

The AUC, which has about 10,000 fighters, has its origins in vigilante groups set up by cattle ranchers and drug lords to fight Marxist guerrillas.

Human rights groups say sections of Colombia's armed forces cooperate with the paramilitaries against their common guerrilla foe.

But the Colombian government says it is cracking down on the military’s clandestine links with the far-right militias.

State Department spokesman Charles Barclay said an official from the US embassy in Bogota had met a civilian advisor to AUC, but insisted this was only to underscore US policy to seek the extradition of wanted paramilitary members.

Sanity tests for Lagos traffic woes

Lagos authorities have begun requiring psychiatric tests of traffic offenders blamed for the Nigerian city's "insane" gridlock.

Lagos' legendary traffic jams are aggravated by impatient drivers who brazenly jump curbs and drive on the wrong side of the street, Lagos Traffic Ministry spokesman Ogundeji Adesegun told The Associated Press.

The ministry in recent days ordered police to arrest offenders, impound their vehicles, impose $200 fines and order mandatory psychiatric tests, Adesegun said Thursday.

Hundreds of drivers had already been punished under the new measures, authorities said.

Their vehicles are being held until they had received a "certificate of sound mental fitness" from psychiatric clinics.

"Let us see if these people are mentally balanced. We have to end this insanity," Adesegun said. "If this doesn't work, the next thing we may do is advise the judiciary to impose jail terms."

"We have insane traffic. It is madness, no doubt about it," the official said.

Lagos, a tropical port city of 12 million, is plagued by nightmarish traffic preventing commuters from reaching work for hours. Travelers routinely reserve four to five hours to creep from the city's island suburbs to the international airport, a drive less 30 minutes long with a clear road.

But in an editorial, Nigeria's influential Guardian daily accused traffic officials of using the strict new measures as an excuse to extort hefty bribes from offenders.

The newspaper also accused officials of ignoring traffic hazards - including bus-sized potholes, and mountains of rotting garbage clogging drains and flooding streets during seasonal rains. "They are more interested in revenue collection than traffic management," the editorial said.

India receives ‘stealth’ warship

The Indian navy has finally taken delivery of its first Russian-built "stealth" warship, following an 18-month delay caused by problems with the vessel's weapons system, the BBC reported.

The INS Talwar is the first of three Krivak class frigates commissioned from Russia in a $1bn deal.

The warships, which are designed to be less visible to enemy radar, were initially rejected because the surface-to-air Shtil missile system failed during a test flight.

After correction work, the 4,000-tonne Talwar was finally handed over to Indian naval officials at a ceremony in Russia's northern port of St Petersburg on Wednesday.

All three ships should now be commissioned this year. Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes will receive the second, the Trishul, during a visit this month.

The Talwar, said to be the most modern Russian ship ever offered for export, is armed with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and has anti-submarine capabilities.

The Indian navy is the first foreign force to induct the stealth class Russian warships and plans to equip them later with the Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles.

Admiral Madhvendra Singh, chief of the Indian naval staff, said the Talwar was able to hit targets much further away than any other ship in the fleet.

Admiral Singh said the commissioning "symbolises and reinforces the historic ties between Russia and India". He said that in the future India hoped to build most navy ships at its own shipyards, although Delhi would still buy equipment from foreign countries, particularly Russia.

Philippine Muslim rebels extend truce

A unilateral cease-fire declared by Philippine Muslim separatists lapsed on Sunday, but the rebels said they would maintain it indefinitely while waiting for a matching gesture from the military, Reuters reported.

Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said both sides were meeting in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on a proposed accord calling for "disengagement" by their forces in battle areas on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.

Mainly Muslim Malaysia is trying to broker a peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the biggest of four groups fighting for a separate Muslim state in the south of this mainly Roman Catholic country.

Pending a similar cease-fire declaration by the Philippine armed forces, "we are maintaining a position of active defense," Kabalu said by telephone from Mindanao.

"This means that we will not launch attacks unless we are attacked. Technically, we are still holding onto a cease-fire."

"The chances of an agreement (in Kuala Lumpur) are 60-40," Kabalu said adding that the proposed agreement would call on the Philippine military to reciprocate the rebel-declared unilateral cease-fire "as soon as possible," he said.

Kabalu said a mutual cease-fire would be a major step toward restarting formal peace negotiations stalled since October 2001. The cease-fire has been marred by periodic clashes since the MILF announced its start on June 2.

Philippine security officials have accused the MILF of links to the militant Southeast Asian group Jemaah Islamiah and filed charges of murder against senior MILF officials over a recent spate of bombings in Mindanao, which have killed dozens of people.

The MILF leadership has denied the charges.