COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Exiled leaders of this stand nation’s Tamil minority held talks Sunday with President Junius R. Jayewardene about ending fierce civil strife that has killed more than four thousand people.

Appapillai Amirthalingam, secretary-general, of the Tamil United Liberation Front, would not reveal any details of the talks except to say they were “cordial, friendly and promising,” and probably continue for several days.

The six member Liberation Front delegation arrived Saturday and checked into the downtown Hotel Empress, where a terrorist bomb exploded Thursday night and wounded four people, heavy security surrounded the hotel, which was declared off limits to the public.

The Tamil leaders returned home for the first time in twenty months after talks with the Indian leaders in New Delhi. India brokered two rounds of unsuccessful peace talks last year, and was believed to have played a central role in persuading the two sides to resume negotiations.

President Reagan said the latest peace proposal, drafted by Jayewardene, provided an “excellent basic” for settling a crisis characterized by ethnic violence during the past three years.

But Tamil delegation members ‘were cautious in their appraisal of the talks’ prospects.

The new proposals were submitted to the Indian government in May. The plan provides for provincial legislatures as a means of giving limited autonomy to the Tamil community.

Tamils, who make up 18 percent of the island’s 16 million population, complain of discrimination in all walks of life. The Sinhalese majority is predominantly Buddhist, while the Tamils are mostly Hindus and have close cultural links with India, which has 55 million Tamil citizens.

The Sri Lankan armed forces, which have been accused of brutality against the Tamils by international human rights organizations are composed almost entirely of Sinhalese.

Reagan’s message to Sri Lankan president was released by Jayewardene’s secretary shortly after the Tamil leaders’ arrival.

Reagan cited “the importance of forging a broad consensus among. Sri Lankans of all communities in favor of what you are trying to achieve.”

He pledged “the full support of my government” in the peace effort.

Without consenting to be quoted by name, the Tamil leaders: “everything depended on the response we get from President Jayewardene this week.” The Front leaders said they would eventually ask that Tamil guerrilla leaders be incorporated into any peace negotiations,

Five major guerrilla groups are waging a bloody campaign for an independent Tamil homeland to be called Eelam. The campaign has provoked military reprisals against Tamil civilians in which hundreds have died in the past year alone.

The Tamil Liberation Front leaders earlier expressed objection to the Jayewardene’s proposals contending the Chief Minister in the provincial legislatures would have little effective power.

The plan does not meet another key Tamil demand: merger of the northern part, and eastern Sri Lankan provinces where Tamils form a majority.

The Tamil United Liberation Front was Sri Lanka’s largest opposition party, but its legislators were ousted from Parliament and its leadership fled to India following anti-Tamil riots in 1983.

The Front’s leaders were last in Colombo in December, 1984 for all-party talks that proved fruitless.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 18, 1986