Lankan govt. asks LTTE to return to negotiations

The Sri Lankan government today extended an olive branch to the Tamil Tiger rebels by offering to halt the military operations against them if they return to the negotitating table for the peace talks.

"The decision is theirs (LTTE's) and I believe they wouldn't reject the opportunity," Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said in an interview to "Sunday Island' newspaper.

Asking the rebels to make a "genuine" effort at the negotiating table, Gotabhaya, brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, said the government would not exploit "an environment conducive for further military action" if the rebels opted for peace talks.

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