Sri Lanka PM given US endorsement

The PM received strong support for his policies

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, received strong US endorsement for his peace initiative when he met President George W Bush at the White House on Wednesday.

The backing that (President Bush) has given me has been of tremendous help

Prime Minister Wickramasinghe

President Bush expressed his support for the Norwegian-mediated efforts to resolve Sri Lanka's civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The group has waged a separatist war in the north and east of the island for two decades.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues, but the peace process initiated by Colombo was at the top of the agenda.

American support is important because the US - along with India, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Sri Lanka itself - has branded the LTTE a terrorist organisation.

Co-operation offered

The White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said President Bush had offered US support for Sri Lanka's peace process and economic development.

" (President Bush) proposed to send several teams to assess how best we can work together in those areas," he said.

Mr Wickramasinghe said he had come to Washington mainly to discuss his peace initiative with the LTTE, and was happy with the support he had received.

"The backing that (President Bush) has given me has been of tremendous help," he said, " I want that to continue."

After his meeting with President Bush, Mr Wickramasinghe held talks with the US Secretary of State Colin Powell and these too ended on a positive note.

Wickramasinghe met Bush on Wednesday

The peace process has been moving slowly, and direct talks between the government and the LTTE, originally expected to be held in Thailand in June or July, are now thought to have been put back to August.

The government and the Tigers have accused each other of violating the truce and the delay in the talks has deepened anxieties that the peace process itself may be in trouble.

But in a speech to Washington academics late on Tuesday, Mr Wickramasinghe sought to allay these concerns.

"We don't want to set any specific dates and time-frames," he was quoted as saying.

"The peace process is already under way and it is immaterial whether the talks are held in July or August or September."

Obstacles

The prime minister did not address practical difficulties that still seem to hinder the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two sides.

International observers have complained that the Tigers are still recruiting children and extorting money from civilians.

They recently temporarily detained two members of the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.

The Tigers, for their part, complain that the army has not yet vacated schools and temples occupied during the campaign.

The two sides have, however, agreed that the terms of the ceasefire will be fully met by early August, and Mr Wickramasinghe said this deadline would be met.

"The LTTE is waiting until 2 August," he said in Washington. "We have no problem at all with that."