Sri Lankan PM upbeat on peace

The PM hopes for peace as Tigers agree to automony

The Sri Lankan Government has said peace in the country is increasingly possible after Tamil Tigers said they would settle for regional autonomy.

The LTTE's reclusive leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, said in a speech on rebel radio on Wednesday that Tamil objectives could be met by self-rule and regional autonomy.

Mr Prabhakaran 'is committed to peace'

In a speech to parliament, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said the developments were a "paradigm shift."

He added that the rebels believe the war can permanently end with "substantial power sharing within a framework of a unified Sri Lanka."

Earlier this week, Mr Wickramasinghe became the first head of government for 12 years to shake hands with a Tamil Tigers negotiator.

Parliamentary support

In his speech this week, Mr Prabhakaran also warned there would be no option but to secede and form an independent Tamil state if talks did not result a deal the rebels could accept.

The political dialogue can be fruitful because the position of the two parties are no longer incompatible

Prime Minister Wickramasinghe

Despite that, observers say Mr Wickramasinghe is embarking on a major campaign to persuade politicians to accept plans by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for greater autonomy instead of a separate Tamil state.

The support of parliament is essential because if a settlement involves granting self-rule to areas controlled by the rebels, the country's constitution would have to be amended.

Of the 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament, Mr Wickramasinghe and his allies hold 129 of them.

But he would need to have the support of 21 more members to pass an amendment with a two-thirds majority.

He told parliament the rebel position of sharing power "encourages me to believe that the political dialogue can be fruitful because the position of the two parties are no longer incompatible."

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for nearly two decades for their own state in a conflict which has left more than 60,000 people dead.