(by Sunimalee Dias)

The Peace Secretariat yesterday announced the talks beginning at Nakhon Pathom in Thailand today was only an extension to the first round of talks held in September and not the second round of negotiations as widely publicised earlier.

A Peace Secretariat official said the first round of talks would go through three follow-up sessions before entering the second round termed as the transitional stage.

The second meeting in the first round which starts today is scheduled to end on Sunday with two more meetings due for the conclusion of the first round.  The third and fourth meetings of the first round of talks are scheduled to take place from December 2 to 5 and January 6 to 9 next year.

However, reports from Thailand yesterday said the Thai government had problems about hosting the third meeting scheduled for December as the dates clashed with the Thai Mornarch’s birthday fall in on December 5.

The Bangkok based English daily quoted Snanchart Devahastin, the Director General for South Asia, Middle East and African affairs as saying Thailand would be able to host it if the dates were postponed to the second week of December or else Norway would likely host the meeting.

Meanwhile, local diplomatic sources told the Daily Mirror the Thai government was ready to provide their country as a venue for the peace talks in December but the dates were not suitable.

Sources said today’s closed door sessions in Nakom Pathom would start after lunch followed by two more sessions tomorrow and on Saturday with the final stage on Sunday.  This is likely to be followed by a news conference in the afternoon.

Reports said the LTTE delegation and government chief negotiator Minister G.L. Peiris left early yesterday from the Katunayake airport amidst tight security with no photographers allowed to cover the event.