January 17, 2002	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 2, 1422

MALLAVI (Sri Lanka), Jan 16: Tamil Tiger guerrillas on Wednesday 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” organization 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, S.P. Thamilselvan said that it was up to the new government to remove the ban on the Tigers as the Norwegian government pushes ahead with moves to arrange talks.

It is the first time the LTTE has explicitly demanded that the ban should be lifted ahead of peace negotiations.—AFP