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Message: <blockquote data-quote="x-pert" data-source="post: 4709434" data-attributes="member: 837">By Anbarasan Ethirajan BBC News, Colombo Monday, 25 May 2009 00:07 UK  Sri Lanka's defence secretary has rejected the Tamil Tigers' offer to enter a democratic process after their military defeat by government forces. In an interview with the BBC, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the LTTE rebels could not be trusted to give up "terrorism".  "I do not believe the LTTE can enter a democratic process after years of their violent activities," Mr Rajapaksa said.  The rebels had said they would give up violence after their leader was killed in recent fighting in the north-east.  "I am not interested in LTTE at all," the defence secretary - the most senior civilian official in charge of the war against the Tamil Tigers - told the BBC in a wide-ranging telephone interview.  He said there were "enough democratic Tamil political parties in the country" to represent the Tamil minority.  On Sunday, speaking to the BBC's Tamil service, senior rebel spokesman Selvarasa Pathmanathan said they would now use non-violent methods to fight for the rights of the Tamils and had agreed to enter a democratic process to achieve their aims. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8067524.stm" target="_blank">Read More</a></blockquote>

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