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LTTE warns of war if Kumaratunga's party wins

K Venkataramanan in Colombo

Voicing skepticism over peace prospects in Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has warned that victory of the incumbent People's Alliance, after Wednesday's parliamentary poll will lead to resumption of war.

Considering a possibility that People's Alliance might form the government again with the help of the leftist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna, LTTE's chief spokesman and ideologue, Dr Anton Balasingham said, "In that event, there will be war, and we are ready for it."

"Even an opposition win might only cause confusion and not yield a settlement," he said, adding that the LTTE had no pact with the United National Party, as alleged by the PA in its poll campaign.

An UNP-majority legislature was only going to cause utter confusion in Sri Lankan politics, he said.

"Even if UNP's Ranil Wickremesinghe becomes prime minister, the LTTE is not hopeful that there would be peace, as differences between the President and an opposition-controlled Parliament will boil over into a full-scale conflict and there will be no political stability," he said.

At a function to hail the LTTE's 'war heroes', in London two days ago, Balasingham said the opposition United National Party had promised talks with the Tigers in the event of the UNP forming a government.

"That's good. We are ready for talks, but there will be a lot of hurdles, as President Kumaratunga will continue to hold the all-powerful executive presidency. She may prevent a cease-fire as head of the armed forces," he said.

"The LTTE does not believe in parliamentary system to resolve the ethnic conflict but continued to believe in procuring freedom for the Tamil people through their own ways," he said.

"We are not interested in this election or in who wins it. We have a plan of our own. We will bring back Jaffna and Batticaloa under our control. We will take Jaffna by war or by peaceful means."

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