BBC News, Saturday, 7 April, 2001, 16:24 GMT 17:24 UK:

Tigers seek legal status

The government wants an end to the Tigers' violence

By Frances Harrison in Colombo

Tamil Tiger rebels fighting the Sri Lankan government have said they must be legalised as an organisation before they can take part in peace talks.

In a statement issued by the head of the rebels political wing, S P Tamilchelvan, the Tigers also said it was absolutely essential for both sides to stop fighting before negotiations could start.

In a two-page statement issued from their headquarters in rebel-controlled northern Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers say quite categorically that they will not participate in peace talks as an outlawed outfit.

They say lifting the current ban on their organisation and reciprocating their unilateral cease-fire are essential prerequisites for any negotiations.

Marathon talks
It is so unthinkable that Sri Lanka would concede this demand that it raises the possibility that the Tigers are in effect pulling out of the peace process by insisting on something they know they will never get

The statement from the Tigers follows what they call marathon discussions between Mr Tamilchelvan and the Norwegian ambassador to Colombo, Jon Westborg, which took place in rebel territory.

All along, the Tigers have been saying that they cannot talk peace while still waging war.

But the sudden insistence that the Sri Lankan government legalise the Tamil Tigers before talks start has puzzled political commentators.

Sri Lanka has expended huge diplomatic efforts recently on lobbying other countries to ban the Tigers so it would be bizarre if it suddenly lifted its own ban on the rebel organisation.

In fact, it is so unthinkable that Sri Lanka would concede this demand that it raises the possibility that the Tigers are in effect pulling out of the peace process by insisting on something they know they will never get.

The only other possibility is that the Tigers are over-stating their demands but are willing to settle for less.

But the wording of their statement appears to leave little room for manoeuvre.

There has been no definitive response from the Sri Lankan government yet.

But the minister for justice, Batty Weerakoon, has called the latest statement a complete reversal of the Tigers earlier approach. Search BBC News Online