By Simon Gardner
KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka, July 12 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels aim to cripple the island's economy with major attacks on military and economic targets, a top rebel leader told Reuters on Thursday.
Tiger political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan said peace was "not possible" with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, pouring cold water on international efforts aimed at halting a deadly new chapter in a two-decade civil war.
"Our targets would be in the future major military and economic structures of the government of Sri Lanka," he said in an interview in the rebels' northern stronghold of Kilinochchi.
"They will be targets which help the government sustain its military operations and military rule," he added.
"For instance (our) attack on the oil installations. That is one of the targets that will cripple the economy of Sri Lanka as well as the military capability of Sri Lanka, so such will be the tactic."
Thamilselvan's comments came a day after the government declared it had driven the rebels from their last jungle stronghold in the east after months of fighting in which the military has had the upper hand.
The capture of a jungle area called Thoppigala in the eastern district of Batticaloa came after the military captured vast swathes of terrain from the Tigers in the east this year.
"We can only say that Thoppigala and the jungles the government is now gloating about as if they had captured a new country or a state or something like that, is not going to last very long," Thamilselvan said.
Analysts say the Tigers' military machine is still intact in the north where they run a de facto state, and fear a conflict that has killed an estimated 4,500 people since last year could run for years.
The Tigers are fighting for an independent state in the north and east.
NO PEACE TALKS
Thamilselvan said the Tigers had no faith in a cross-party bid to forge a consensus devolution proposal for minority Tamils, and said they could not talk peace with the current president, who has repeatedly said he is open to talks at any time while forging ahead with military offensives.
"After closing all the avenues for the other party to participate in meaningful negotiations, the government inviting (us) to attend talks is meaningless," Thamilselvan added.
"Peace is not possible with this president, because during this president's term we find a euphoria, celebration, jubilation over the so-called victory in the east. Under such a person peace is not always possible."
Thamilselvan called on foreign powers to force the government to honour the terms of a 2002 ceasefire pact which has broken down on the ground.
Rajapaksa's government has vowed to continue with its drive to destroy all Tiger military assets, and analysts say the focus of fighting is now shifting to the far north, which is largely controlled by Tiger rebels.
Rebels say they will use all of their arsenal -- which includes suicide bombers and light aircraft that they smuggled into the country in pieces and reassembled -- to battle on.
"Let the Tamil people live in their traditional homeland," Thamilselvan said. "Leave the Tamil people without any military occupation or persecution. That will be the day there is no war."