India would arrange for a dialogue between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam to stop the hostilities in the island nation if the government suspended military operations against the Tigers and the outfit laid down arms, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said in Chennai on Sunday.
"If this fructifies, the union government will arrange a dialogue between the two warring parties," he told a public
meeting at Mylapore on Sunday night.
He said the situation in the island nation would not have reached such a grave stage had the LTTE utilised the 48-hour
window period given by Sri Lanka recently to allow civilians to move to safer areas.
He pointed out that India cannot directly interfere in the war against the LTTE, as demanded by some, since the
country had itself not held talks with militant outfits in the North-East and Kashmir, who had refused to give up arms.
"This fact has been understood only by the DMK, Congress and AIADMK in the state," he said, adding that PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss and Viduthulai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Tol Tirumavalavan (pro-Eelam parties) should also try to see this viewpoint.
Chidambaram opined that the LTTE would have got political status long back had they accepted the 1987 India-Sri Lanka accord.
Lankan president urges LTTE to surrender