Sept 16, Colombo: Expressing confidence that the military would completely crush the LTTE rebels soon, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday ruled out talks with the Tamil Tigers.

During a meeting with foreign journalists yesterday night at his official residence Temple Trees, President Rajapaksa said “the time for talks was over, the only option left for the rebels was to put down their arms and surrender.”

“We can crush them, there is no question that we can't,” he said. “I know they are getting weak,” the President said, claiming that he had no intention of letting the war simmer indefinitely. However he didn’t set a time frame for a military victory.

"We will completely crush the LTTE, but I do not want to set a time frame for it. It can be done. It will definitely take some time," said the President.

“We won't allow them to go to the jungle, we will follow them until we get Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman,” he warned.

Commenting on the order for the relief workers to move out from the rebel controlled areas, the President said that “very soon, they can go back, once the rebels are forced out.”

President said the government would hold a provincial council election for the Northern Province immediately once the area is cleared of the rebels, "allowing the Tamil people to elect their own leaders and representatives democratically as they did in the east".

[Pix: Channa Perera]