• expect a big surprise by the end of Jan.’

• War can be finished overnight but for civilians

• Probes into attacks on journalists continue

• Security offered to editors if requested

A short while before Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Colombo last evening, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a gathering of newspaper editors at the Temple Trees that he had invited the visiting Indian FM to bring along both Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Opposition Leader J. Jayalalithaa so that they could see the situation in Sri Lanka for themselves.

President Rajapaksa said he had invited the FM to visit Sri Lanka owing to some concerns New Delhi had about the displaced people of the Vanni. He said his government had done everything possible to ensure the safety of civilians in the Vanni and to look after them until they were resettled after mine clearing operations.

"We will finish this war and we are in a position to do that overnight," said the President, "but we are acting with utmost restraint because of the civilians in the clutches of the LTTE." He said the security forces refrained from trading fire with the LTTE whenever the latter fired from behind civilians.

He urged the Indian leaders, especially CM Karunanidhi to step in to pressure the LTTE to let go of the innocent people.

President Rajapaksa said he was aware that the lower rung leaders of the LTTE had made a business out of the predicament of the IDPS. "I have reliable information from some of the escapees that they had bought their freedom by paying some LTTE cadres," he said.

NDTV last night announced that the Indian Foreign Minister would take up the issue of the displaced persons in the Vanni and discuss ways and means of helping them, during his meeting with President Rajapaksa.

President Rajapaksa said his government was ready to adopt all possible measures to ensure the safety editors in view of attacks on them. He denied any government involvement in them as he said the government had no reason to sully its hands with such reprehensible acts of violence. He said for a government whose popularity was at the peak nothing would be more foolhardy than to attack the press. "The armed forces are doing extremely well and our popularity has never been this high, so why should we even think of such undemocratic action?" he asked.

IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne, who was present at the meeting, dismissed allegations that investigations were not being properly carried out. He said the police were probing the assassination of the Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunga and the recent attack on the Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon properly. There were several angles to investigations and each and every one of them had to be carefully studied.

President Rajapaksa said he was ready to provide security to editors who needed it.

As for the situation in the country, President Rajapaksa said he would reveal to the country ‘something very big’ on Jan. 30 or so. "It is going to be a very big surprise," he said refusing to elaborate. "When the time comes," he said, "I will make it known to one and all."