12 August, 2008 - Published 17:48 GMT

India, Sri Lanka 'war' over war

Sri Lanka's top defence official says the country's army will capture the key rebel-held town of Kilinochchi by the end of this year.

Speaking to The Times in London, the defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said peace in Sri Lanka would return only if Tamil rebels were destroyed completely.

The defence secretary is also the brother of the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"You can't just push them into the jungles and wait. You have to search for them and completely eradicate them. Only then can peace come," he is quoted by the The Times.

'No Tamil support'

The controversial defence secretary is accused by international media watchdogs, alongside LTTE leader Prabhakaran, of curtailing press freedom in Sri Lanka.

His comments came amid warning by neighbouring India that Sri Lanka may not win the war unless the Tamils are given substantial political rights.

Speaking to a Singapore daily, the Indian National Security Adviser, M K Narayanan, said the Sri Lankan government should get the Tamil population on their side to succeed.

"The (Sri Lanka Army) has made a lot of progress in the last few weeks. But even if they win the battle I am not sure they will win the war. I think they haven't got the Tamil population on their side," he was quoted by The Straits Times.