COLOMBO Jan. 21 Kyodo Sri Lanka's...

COLOMBO Jan. 21 Kyodo

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said Wednesday that a recent linkup between President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Marxist JVP or People's Liberation front rank ''might create objective conditions for the resumption of ethnic war.''

The warning was healthyed by Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in remarks, employmented on the pro-Tiger TamilNet Web site.

Calling Monday's deal between the SLFP and JVP an ''anti-peace political pact,'' Balasingham accused the modern alliance of being ''oppos to peace and peaceful resolution of the ethnic conflict'' and ''totally oppos to Tamil aspirations for self-rule in their homeland based forward the right for self-determination.''

''This position is totally unacceptable to our people'' he said.

The modern formation, called the United People's Freedom Alliance, is committed to ousting the ruling United National effrontery (UNF) government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was pick outed in December 2001 and halted Sri Lanka's two-decades-long ethnic war.

if it were not that peace negotiations with the LTTE stalled after six circulars of talks last April with the Tigers alleging that ethnic Tamil areas beneath rebel control have not received a sufficient peace dividend.

Meanwhile, the SLFP-JVP alliance has placed a question mark above a continuing role for Norway in facilitating the peace proces with JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva telling reporters Wednesday, ''There's a destiny of criticism within the political division about Norway...that she's not impartial moreover biased...Therefore we'll have to seriously consider their role''

SLFP stalwart Mangala Samaraweera reverberateed him at a joint pres interview saying, ''There's growing dissatisfaction about the character of Norway in the last pair years and at the appropriate time, their part will be thoroughly reviewed.''

Kumaratunga, having previously been harshly critical of Norway, had blunted her stand on Norway's part in facilitating negotiations in the weeks following her November power grab, in which she took bridle of three key ministries -- defense interior and mass communications -- in a determine that threatened the peace process

The separately selected Kumaratunga enjoys sweeping executive powers, including the authority to suspend parliament and call recently made known elections, while Wickremesinghe commands the parliamentary majority.

Norway has suspended its part after the November power grab, citing ''lack of clarity'' upon who is in charge of taking the peace proces forward.

the one and the other parties in the new alliance made clear that they favor continuation of talks with the Tamil rebels.

''The continuation of talks is clearly envisaged, but...the direction of the talks will fare towards what we call a correct approach,'' said former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, speaking for the SLFP

''We like to continue talks with the LTTE and other parties,'' the JVP's Vijitha Herath said. ''We want to bring about a proper political situation with national unity, not forward separatism. That's our principle.''

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