• India is to the west, too.

Exactly, even India. They misunderstood me and sometimes some of our politicians, who are close to India, I think they are the people who spread it. Even from my own side.

• Such as? Give me some names.

I don’t want to.

• Mahinda Rajapaksa, shy of naming names!

No, I can name them. They are from the opposition and some are from my party but are still working against me. But most of them are with me at the moment.

• You can describe yourself as a hawk or a dove, but the fact is that this kind of a sustained military campaign has not been seen in the past. In fact it’s also a success because now LTTE has isolated itself to a corner.

I have learnt from history, experience, because whenever I say there is a ceasefire, whenever they have had some breathing period, they have increased their fire power, trained their people, and started fighting after that. They were not genuine.

• So they have exploited the period of ceasefire.

Yes.

• And you are not going to let it happen now.

I won’t. I don’t think I will, because knowing what happened earlier, why should I do the same thing? If they hand over their arms to an independent party . . .

• Or a mediator. Like the Norwegians?

Why not India?

• Are you serious?

Yes.

• Would you rather that India mediate, or a really neutral country like Norway?

... contd.