'Lanka civil war could reverse tsunami recovery'

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse (L) shares a light moment with former US president Bill Clinton in Colombo yesterday. Clinton is visiting the island as a UN special envoy for tsunami recovery.. PHOTO: AFP

"Any recovery progress achieved this year will be quickly reversed if Sri Lanka returns to civil conflict," the former US president said.

The remarks were contained in a statement issued by Clinton's office in Colombo after talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The statement came a day after Rajapakse issued a fresh invitation to the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to enter talks and revive a moribund peace process after the guerrillas issued a year-end deadline.

The LTTE said it wanted Rajapakse to come up with a political deal to end discrimination against minority Tamils and if not they would "next year" resume their "freedom struggle" and seek to establish a separate homeland.