Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

US says LTTE transitional government not recognized, Tigers listed again,State Department insists not blocking IMF loan

By Easwaran Rutnam

The United States says it does not recognize the provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam announced by the LTTE head of international relations S. Pathmanathan and once again listed the Tigers as a terrorist outfit following its latest review.

Speaking during a live web chat last night from the US State Department, senior U.S. State Department official Gregg Sullivan said that although the US welcomed reports that the LTTE has renounced violence and will now pursue its objectives through peaceful means there is a long way to go before the Tigers can be considered a reliable entity.

Towards the end of the conflict, their (LTTE) efforts to keep civilians in the war zone, block their departure from war-ravaged areas and their firing from civilian areas put civilians at risk. They're going to have to demonstrate clearly that the tactics they've used for the last 30 years really are in the past.