COLOMBO, Nov 25: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said on Friday he was ready to talk to the Tamil Tigers but vowed he would not tolerate terrorism.

In his first policy statement in parliament since assuming the presidency, the president said he would usher in a ‘new’ peace process by involving all political parties concerned and rejected a Tamil Tiger (LTTE) demand for the recognition of a traditional Tamil homeland.

“Sri Lanka will be the traditional homeland for all its people - Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays and Burgers.

“The ceasefire agreement will be amended so as to ensure that acts of terrorism would not be permitted.

“I will have an open and transparent peace process, which will respect human rights and will not allow child recruitment by the LTTE,” he said.

JVP DEMAND: The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which played a key role in the victory of President Rajapakse, on Thursday called for dividing the ethnic Tamil majority North Eastern province.