Sri Lanka's [Images] Tamil Tiger rebels today told peace broker Norway that they were against European Union member states monitoring the island's ceasefire. The EU banned the guerrillas as a terrorist organisation last month.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) oppose monitors from three European Union member states - Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Describing the EU ban as a result of propaganda by the government of Sri Lanka, The LTTE's political wing leader S P Thamilselvan conveyed his opposition to the presence of the three nations in the peace process during talks with Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka Hans Brattskar.
Taming the Tamil Tigers
The LTTE move would lead to the automatic ouster of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) chief Ulf Henricsson, who is a Swedish national.
"Thamilselvan also said that he requested the ambassador to explain the LTTE position to the three EU countries in the SLMM and to convey LTTE's gratitude for the services they have given in the SLMM," the LTTE said.
He said the LTTE had warned prior to the EU decision that a ban by EU will disturb the neutrality of the SLMM. "It is unfortunate that EU has believed the propaganda of the Sri Lankan government."
The EU outlawed the Tigers last month in a move that cut off funding and was apparently aimed in part at forcing the rebels back to the negotiating table they left in April 2003.
The war in Lanka | More news from Sri Lanka
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