In the sharpest setback yet for peace hopes in Sri Lanka, Tamil Tiger rebels said yesterday they would pull out of political talks with the government and stay away from a key foreign-aid meeting in June. The move appeared to scuttle a meeting next week at which Canadian experts were set to offer advice on federalist political structures during face-to-face negotiations between the two sides. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said they would halt the talks because Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government is trying to shut the rebels out of talks on foreign assistance and has failed to resettle thousands of Tamil civilians. In a statement, the LTTE said it remains committed to negotiating an end to more than two decades of civil war but decided “to suspend its participation in the negotiations for the time being.” The statement does not refer directly to political talks scheduled to open next week in Thailand. But it says the rebels would not attend the June meeting of international donors in Japan, where a multimillion-dollar aid plan linked to the negotiations is to be discussed. Full Story
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