<b>SLMM-LTTE to finalise sea route today</b>

Sumadhu Weerwarne - The Island

The head and deputy head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) will be in Kilinochchi today to finalise details on LTTE cadres’ movement from LTTE-controlled areas in the north to those in the east via sea.

Trond Furuhovde and Hagrup Haukland will be meeting head of the LTTE political wing Tamilchelvan today to iron out details on LTTE cadres’ movement. Spokesperson for the mission Teitur Torkelssen said that there was agreement in principle on the part of the Peace Secretariat to what the LTTE termed the "movement of cadres on leave to visit their families", and all that remains is for details to be finalised. "There has been general agreement on the issue for some time now. But other incidents have put this on the backburner. The process will be finalised soon," he said.

Conditions laid down on the movement of LTTE cadres include the presence of monitors on board the LTTE vessel and the sailing of a Navy vessel alongside the LTTE boat. Details that have to be finalised include the number of monitors who should accompany the cadres, the distance at which the Navy vessel should travel when accompanying an LTTE carrier, what should be done if the engine breaks down in mid sea and how far the LTTE vessel should be from the coast when moving from the north to east or vice versa.

The next issue on the agenda will be the finalisation of security forces movement on the A9 route. Here too there is agreement in principle, but details have yet to be finalised. Agreement will have to be reached on what should be done in the case of an accident when moving troops on leave on the LTTE-controlled part of the A9. "The Peace Secretariat has raised such issues as there is a possibility of evacuation of soldiers in such an event by air via helicopters. These have not yet been determined," he said.

-The Island -