Oct 16, Colombo: Sri Lanka's major Tamil political party the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says the government needed to agree to have bi-lateral talks with the party based on the five documents prepared at earlier in relation to a political solution.

TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran has told the media following the party's recent visit to India that party would participate in the proposed parliamentary select committee (PSC) if the government agrees to hold bi-lateral talks with the party.

The talks between the government and the TNA should be based on the Mangala Munasinghe Select Committee Report, three documents prepared in 1995, 1997 and 2000 by the former President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Administration and the majority report produced by the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), he has said.

According to the TNA MP Tamils in the country's north were facing several problems and they feel cheated by the government's lack of progress in finding a solution to devolve power. Sumanthiran added that the Indian government was keeping a close watch on the controversial Divi Neguma Bill since the government through the bill was attempting to take over powers devolved to the provincial councils under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.