13 June 2004	Sunday	24 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

COLOMBO, June 12: General Secretary of the Tamil National Alliance, R. Sampandhan said on on Friday that President Kumaratunga had given assurance to the Tamil members of parliament that peace talks would take place in August.

He said the president gave the assurance when twenty of the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians met her on Thursday.

At the meeting spanning nearly two hours the president agreed to the demands of the Tamil members of parliament that the government accept the LTTE interim self-governing authority proposals which the president had rejected outright last November.

Ms Kumaratunga had extended an invitation to the TNA for a discussion on the prospects of resuming peace talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Several key ministers in the government had been invited by the president to take part in the discussion. The notable absentee from the the government side was Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.