Sri Lankan government, Tamil rebels clear decks to address critical issue of power sharing
Sri Lanka’s government and Tamil Tiger rebels made their first commitment to tackle human rights during their latest round of peace talks, setting the stage for crucial negotiations on power sharing when they meet again next month. A two-day session in Berlin ended Saturday with a fresh pledge by the rebels to stop recruiting child soldiers and help them reintegrate into society. Both sides also asked a former head of Amnesty International, Ian Martin, to draft a document with a series of human rights commitments to be met as the negotiating proceed. The rebels began fighting for a homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority on the Indian Ocean island in 1983, but now say they are ready to settle for autonomy in a federal state. Full Story