COLOMBO: Raising hopes for the revival of the peace process, Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran has agreed to open talks with the Sri Lankan government and pledged "commitment" to the process.
"We need concrete positive commitments from the leader of the LTTE to resume talks. He has given that," Policy Planning Minister Keheloya Rambukwella said on Wednesday.
He declined to say how the "commitment" of the elusive Prabhakaran was conveyed to the government, but said a meeting Norway's ambassador Hans Brattskar had with the LTTE political leadership last week was positive.
"He came back with certain positive suggestions," Rambukwella said "The president is not available today and tomorrow, but he will look at it in the next few days."
Rambukwella said President Mahinda Rajapakse wanted Prabhakaran himself to recommit to the peace process as the government could not accept the words of the LTTE's political wing leader and public face, S P Thamilselvan.
"We are not prepared to play any more games," he said adding the government insisted on a commitment from the supremo himself because they could not accept what others said.
The new development came a day after Panchayati Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar asked the government to make special efforts to save the peace process.
Norway announced two weeks ago that both parties had agreed to unconditional talks and they would arrange a face-to-face meeting in early October.
