Tamil Tiger guerrillas today demanded the lifting of a 1998 ban and the removal of an economic embargo on rebel-held areas ahead of Norwegian-backed peace talks.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they would enter the talks only as a "legitimate" organisation and also demanded the government ensure that minority Tamils in rebel-held areas in the north had equal living conditions with others living on the island.
LTTE's political wing leader, Mr S.P. Thamilselvan, told reporters that it was up to the new government of Prime Minister Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe to remove the ban on the Tigers as the Norwegian government pushes ahead with moves to arrange talks between the two sides.
It is the first time the LTTE has explicitly demanded that the ban should lifted ahead of possible peace negotiations.
AFP