A comprehensive re-settlement plan being jointly worked out by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the LTTE under the Peace Process will pave the way for the North's 75,000-strong Muslim community to return to their homes.

The SLMC and the LTTE will formulate separate plans to be mutually compared and integrated later, SLMC leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem told the "Sunday Observer".

The SLMC has entrusted the job of formulating a detailed plan for the phased out resettlement of displaced Muslim families to senior lecturer at the Peradeniya S. H. Hasbullah, who attended the last session of the peace talks in Thailand as one of the three advisors to Minister Hakeem.

Mr. Hasbullah, attended last week's workshop of the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) held at Kilinochchi, on behalf of the SLMC.

SLMC sources said that the plan would be handed over to Minister Hakeem on January 26, who in turn will take up the matter with the Norwegian facilitators. He will also meet the LTTE leadership for discussions on this matter, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Minister Hakeem made a request to visiting Japanese Special Envoy Yaushi Akashi, who is Chairman of the Japan Centre for Conflict Prevention, to focus special attention to the issue of financial support for the rehabilitation of Muslim families during their resettlement process in the Northern province.

He made this request at a reception for Mr.Yaushi Akashi hosted by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last Friday at Temple Trees. Minister Hakeem apprised the special envoy that even though an atmosphere favourable to the resettlement of the displaced Muslim families has now come about, they were encountering economic and certain security problems.

The Japanese envoy had assured the Minister that the matter would be discussed further with a Muslim delegation headed by Minister Hakeem when he returns to Sri Lanka next month.

A copy of the book 'Muslim Refugees - The Forgotten People of Sri Lanka's Ethnic Conflict' - authored by Mr. Hasbullah was also presented to the visiting envoy.