NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has assured to hand over Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Chief V Prabhakaran to India, if captured, to face trial in the assassination case of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
If Prabhakaran is arrested, he would first be tried in the island nation and then handed over to India for trial in Rajiv Gandhi killing case, he told foreign correspondents based in Colombo, Press Trust of India reported Wednesday.
Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a LTTE suicide bomber in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. He was India's premier from 1984-89.
The LTTE has been banned by India, the US and the EU. However, Colombo has not imposed any ban on the outfit.
The declaration of LTTE as the most dangerous terror group by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, has helped the Sri Lankan government, the president said. (end) dr.ema KUNA 231710 Jan 08NNNN