COLOMBO, Feb. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Extensive consultations between the political parties and the government are to take place one week ahead of the proposed Geneva talks between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government, officials said Saturday.

    The minority Muslim legislators represented in parliament are to meet on Feb. 14 to decide on a Muslim representative to attend the Geneva talks, party sources said.

    This followed an announcement by the President Mahinda Rajapakse's office on Friday that Rajapakse had asked the Muslim parties to nominate their representative.

    MT Hasan Ali, the Secretary of the main Muslim political party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), however, said the need was for a separate Muslim delegation and not just a Muslim representative.

    The government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are to meet in Geneva on Feb. 22-23, the first direct talks between the two warring parties for three years. The objective is to discuss the fragile Norwegian backed ceasefire.

    Muslims have a bigger stake in the process particularly in the multi-ethnic eastern province.

    Muslims have often complained of harassment by the LTTE in the eastern province.

    The SLMC has been clamoring for representation as a separate Muslim entity in any of the future negotiations.

    But the government sources say that one of the three Muslim ministers in the Rajapakse administration may be given the honor of representing the Muslim community.

    The second meeting of political party consultations on Geneva talks is to take place on Feb. 17, which will be Rajapakse's consultations with all the political parties represented in parliament, officials said. Enditem