The LTTE claims that a deproscription was necessary precondition for it to join the negotiating table as an equal partner. There is another dimension that should make the government happy. The LTTE's insistence on debanning is an indication that it is taking the law of the land seriously. If the LTTE doesn't bother to respect the Sri Lankan law, one would ask why is it calling for the lifting of the ban. This factor may act as an incentive towards the lifting of the ban, even temporarily.
Some analysts look at the problem differently.
They say the ban should be lifted to facilitate talks since such a move would have little bearing internationally. They point out that the United States, Britain and India had imposed a ban on the LTTE under their law for different reasons. India and the US moved to ban the LTTE even before Sri Lanka made an attempt to do so, they say. Though many have put forward their views on the debanning issue, only a few have attempted to fathom the motive behind the LTTE demand. One reason could be that the LTTE does not want other countries to follow the British example in including it on a list of terrorist groups.