Roundup: Sri Lanka Preparing for Peace Talks in Thailand

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, May 31, 2002

Roundup: Sri Lanka Preparing for Peace Talks in Thailand

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Peace process in Sri Lanka is making headway with the Norwegian facilitation, but so far no datehas been fixed for the direct peace talks which is expected to be held in Thailand in late June or early July since the government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels entered an indefinite ceasefire agreement in February.

A Norwegian delegation headed by Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen concluded their latest visit to Colombo earlier this week in preparation for an agenda for the forthcomingpeace talks in Thailand.

Meanwhile, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) rebels blamed the military for thwarting peace talks by failing to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and keep the ban on the organization in place.

In response to LTTE demand the government seemed to have hardened its stance over the issue of de-proscribing the organization although Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had previously indicated that the government will consider the issue seriously.

The Constitutional Affair Minister G.L. Peiris said on Thursdaythat the government will consider lifting the ban on the LTTE onlywhen the date is fixed for the peace talks.

The LTTE's accusation raised doubt that the peace talks, initially scheduled in early May, might be further postponed.

Since the signing of the truce agreement in February the Sri Lankan government has started implementing the truce pact at a slow but steady pace in a bid to build strong confidence for the peace talks.

In April the government opened the main A-9 highway linking thecountry's south and north but the dispute over the bus transportation in rebel-held areas in the north has remain unresolved despite a surprise meeting between a three-member government delegation and the rebels earlier this month.

Recently, the government started vacating religious sites, schools and other public buildings in the north and east as required by the truce agreement. However, the vacation from these buildings will not finish until mid June as it takes time to resettle the soldiers stationed in these places.

The government also relaxed fishing restrictions in the north and allowed barbed wire and batteries to be transported to the rebel-held areas.

Both the government and the LTTE rebels have filed complaints of truce violations to the Scandinavian monitors who have stated that the violations will not jeopardize the agreement. The confrontation between the navy and the LTTE rebels in April in thesea in the east of the country was defused in time.

The mission of the monitors will extend to the seas in the north and east of country as more monitors will arrive to ensure an effective supervision of ceasefire.

The LTTE rebels said that they want the Thailand talks to concentrate on the establishment of an interim administration in the north and east which was vehemently opposed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance (PA), the leftist JVP orPeople's Liberation Front and other Sinhalese parties.

Kumaratunga told visiting Norwegian peace brokers on Monday that core issues should be included in the agenda and the implementation of the interim administration will not come until these issues are finalized.

The PA and some other political parties fear the establishment of the interim administration will lead to a de facto independent Tamil state in the north and east for which the LTTE rebels have been fighting since 1983.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is currently on a European tour seeking supports from the European Union and Britain for the success of the peace talks.

However, as he had repeatedly put it, the peace process in the country is a difficult journey although at the current stage the atmosphere is very encouraging and conducive to the peace talks.

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