TELO INSISTS ON WRITTEN AGREEMENT CITING 5 DEMANDS

The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), which is an ally of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has resolved that any form of support given to the United National Party (UNP) to form a government should be based on a written agreement to address the issues concerning Tamils, a party official said yesterday.

The TNA said last week that it would support the UNP to form a government, but without accepting any portfolio in that government.

TELO is one of the four parties that form the TNA and has two MPS, Selvam Adaikkalanathan and K. Kotheeswaran, elected on their ticket. The Central Committee of TELO met in Vavuniya on Saturday to discuss the situation. It decided that the TNA should strike an agreement with the UNP for the formation of a government on five counts. However, the party decided not to disclose these five areas of concern to be included in the agreement until a final decision was taken.

Its Central Committee member M.K. Sivajilingam told Daily Mirror yesterday that the coordinating committee of the TNA representing all its allies would meet this evening in Colombo to discuss the matter further.“we know it is difficult for a minority government to find a solution to the Tamil national question.

We are looking for an interim solution at least to begin with. If the TNA supports the UNP, it should be conditional and an agreement needs to be signed. Unless the TNA agrees to this demand of ours we will take our own decision on it separately,” he said.