61.   The polls were originally due this month but had to be put off because of requests for more time to set up offices by mainstream Tamil parties.

62.   There has been no expression of condolences from minority Tamil parties.

63.   There was no oficial word from Kumaratunga on her meeting with five Tamil parties, all opposed to the LTTE.

64.   They said the delegation also held talks with members of minority Tamil political parties and was due to call on President Chandrika Kumaratunga before leaving the island on Friday.

65.   Kumaratunga agreed to postpone the crucial local government vote by three months after representations by two Tamil parties which support her shaky coalition, legislator Dharmalingam Sidharthan said.

66.   Minority Tamil parties are slowly withdrawing support to Kumaratunga, rendering her coalition of leftist parties even more unstable.

67.   Maran belongs to a regional Tamil party.

68.   Minority Tamil parties have welcomed the plan but radicals among the majority Sinhala community as well as Tamils oppose the plan as a sell out to each other.

69.   On Wednesday, nine Tamil political parties said in a statement here that nearly half a million people were refugees in the north and faced starvation.

70.   Nine Tamil political parties here said the refugees faced starvation.