Tigers oppose military alliance

The Tamil Tigers are frustrated with slow pace of peace negotiations

Tamil Tiger rebels say peace prospects in Sri Lanka could be damaged by a proposed defence pact with India.

In a statement the rebels say the move could alter the military balance of power.

India and Sri Lanka have been discussing a deal in which Delhi could supply military equipment and train personnel.

India sent peacekeepers to Sri Lanka in 1987, a move which ended in disaster as over 1,000 Indian soldiers died.

Tamil Tiger chief negotiator Anton Balasingham said any such deal between India and Sri Lanka would have "military implications at this crucial time when the peace process itself is endangered by the political crisis in Colombo".

"Such an agreement at this stage will be detrimental to the interests of the Tamils and will seriously damage their bargaining power," the pro-rebel TamilNet website quoted him as saying.

Political crisis

The peace process in Sri Lanka has been threatened by a political crisis in which the president and prime minister have disagreed over the talks.

In November President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who has been highly critical of the peace strategy pursued by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, took over control of three ministries, including defence.

Earlier this month the rebels appealed to the international community to save Sri Lanka's peace process, saying the government was in a shambles because of the power struggle between the prime minister and the president.

They have also expressed their anger over a new political alliance between the president's party and leftists who oppose a power-sharing deal for minority Tamils.