Waiting Game

The Asian Development Bank has asked Sri Lanka to step up the momentum of tsunami reconstruction and said it was awaiting agreement between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government over relief distribution.





The Asian Development Bank has asked Sri Lanka to step up the momentum of tsunami reconstruction and said it was awaiting agreement between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government over relief distribution. ADB vice president Liqun Jin Thursday said the bank will support any arrangement between Colombo and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to ensure reconstruction in the troubled northern and eastern regions.

Sri Lanka's peace broker Norway has been trying to clinch a deal between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to ensure that millions of dollars in foreign aid is spent on reconstruction in troubled areas.

The rebels have said they would support a "joint mechanism" drafted by Oslo but there has been no formal announcement by Colombo on working together to ensure tsunami relief reaches areas held by the guerrillas.

International aid donors and several governments do not want to give aid directly to the Tigers who are designated a foreign terrorist organisation i