As expected, the Geneva-based talks between the Sri Lanka Government (SLG) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended without an agreement on any of the issues, but surprisingly, there was no agreement on future engagement.

Apparently, the talks collapsed over the closure of the A9 Highway that links Jaffna peninsula and the rest of the country. The LTTE wants the highway opened while the Government wants it shut for security reasons. The SLG also accuses the LTTE of bringing up inconsequential issues instead of discussing “core political issues.”

The new round of discussions called Geneva-2 was at the behest of the world community dragging two unwilling parties into a dialogue process after 3000 died and ¼ of a million displaced. While the Norwegian Minister Eric Solheim encouraged both parties to stay engaged, the two sides exchanged harsh words with SLG insisting on a broad settlement including democracy and human rights while the LTTE insisting procedural agreements including the highway opening and relief to the displaced.

The SLG says that it is doing its best on relief and accuses the LTTE wants the highway open to generate revenue for itself. The LTTE is cash-strapped with the avenues of collection in the US , Canada , and Europe cut-off by anti-terrorism laws