/ 1 December 2003

ANC to share notes with the Tamil Tigers

The African National Congress is to meet a delegation from the Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Monday. The delegation will be led by the LTTE Peace Secretariat Secretary General S Puleedevan, the ANC said in a statement.

The ANC would also meet Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando on Tuesday.

”The aim of these meetings is to share experiences of the South African multi-party negotiations process in an effort to assist the Sri Lankan peace process,” the ANC said.

The Tamil Tigers delegation would also meet representatives of the South African Human Rights Commission, the Independent Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court, as well as the ANC provincial leadership in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape to discuss their experiences of coalition partnerships.

”The ANC is committed to assist the parties in Sri Lanka to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in that country.

”We hope that our own experience of an inclusive negotiations process may be of use to the different parties in Sri Lanka,” the ANC said. – Sapa