Lanka sets up panel to solve ethnic issue

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday set up an all-party panel to draft a political settlement for the island's decades-old ethnic strife by sharing power with Tiger rebels.

The President during talks with all Opposition parties set up the panel that will be entrusted with drafting a political package that reflects the consensus of the majority Sinhalese community.

The package would then be discussed with the Tamil Tiger rebels, a spokesman for the president said.

"There is agreement that no solution will work unless the Tigers are on board and they are included in the process of hammering out a political solution," the spokesman said.

Official sources said Rajapakse was looking at an Indian model of devolution to end Sri Lanka's ethnic bloodshed and the drafting of a new plan would very much be on those lines.

There was no immediate timeframe set for the panel and the government and political parties are yet to nominate members to the panel which will also include constitutional experts.

Rajapakse first made a brief announcement of his new initiative during talks with visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher on Thursday.

Today's development, although not expected to bring short term results, indicated that there was hope for the island's troubled peace process, government minister Keheliya Rambukwella said..