11/5/2007

The Air Force will continue to track down the hiding places of LTTE leaders and launch air attacks, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said yesterday.

"Our Security Forces are targeting the hiding places and safehouses of terrorist leaders to deal a mortal blow to the Tigers. They will not stop the relentless pursuit of terrorists," Prime Minister Wickremanayake told reporters at a function in Ingiriya, in the aftermath of the aerial attack that killed LTTE Political Wing chief S.P. Thamilselvan.

The Prime Minister said the Government did not want to go in for a fresh ceasefire. However, it was ready for unconditional talks, as it has always been.

"It is the not the Government that left the negotiating table. It is the LTTE which spurned the peace drive. Nevertheless, the Government will be ready if they want to negotiate. But we will not stop retaliating terror attacks even while discussions are going on," he added.

He noted that the terrorists had not only attacked Forces personnel, Southern targets and Sinhala politicians, but also their own brethren. The operations against the terrorists were planned and conducted by the Security Forces.

"Our aim is to eliminate LTTE terrorism and bring peace to the country." Citing the successful Kilinochchi attack, he dismissed allegations that the Forces had lost their morale after certain setbacks recently.

"Our Forces are fully geared to face the enemy which conducts cowardly attacks without coming out into the open. It is the duty of all patriotic citizens to encourage heroic Forces personnel," he asserte

Courtesy - Daily News / Sri Lanka Defence