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Norwegian Effort For Peace in S.Lanka Causes Mixed Reactions
The latest peace effort made by Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim, which highlighted his recent meeting with reclusive Tamil Tiger rebel leader Veluppilai Prabhakaran in his northern jungle hideout of Wanni, has again rekindled peace hope for the war-torn Sri Lanka, but organizations and political parties have come out with mixed reactions to his effort.
In a two-hour meeting with Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during his three-day visit to Tiger rebel-held area in the north of the country, Solheim said both sides discussed varieties of possibilities of restarting peace negotiations between the government and the rebels. "The talks were serious, frank, open and very useful," he added.
He said that the LTTE did not set any precondition for the talks. However, the Tiger rebels reiterated their prerequisites to resume peace talks in a statement issued from their London office, saying that the government must immediately impose a cease-fire, withdraw its troops from the north and lift the economic embargo on the area.
Solheim also conveyed to Prabhakaran that the international community wants to solve the long-running ethnic conflict within the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka without creating a separate state and the aspirations of minority Tamils should be met in a substantial manner.
Solheim briefed President Kumaratunga on his meeting with the rebel leader on Friday before returning home. He will contact the LTTE and inform them the positions of the government on the issue.
Solheim's peace effort has caused mixed reactions among some organizations and political parties in the country.
The National Joint Committee (NJC) consisting of more than 40 Buddhist organizations have strongly protested at Norwegian facilitation in the peace process.
Piyasena Dissanayake, secretary of the NJC said that the people of the country have all along opposed Norway's intervention in the internal problem of Sri Lanka because of Norway's partiality towards Tiger rebels.
"What is most likely to happen once talks resume is that our armed forces will be demoralized once again, thus allowing Prabhakaran to consolidate his position in the uncleared areas of the north and east," he said.
Ven. Kamburaganuve Vajira of the Alliance for Peace said that the latest development is a victory for all those who campaign for peace talks.
He urged the government to seize the opportunity and resume talks with LTTE. In order to avoid unnecessary confrontation, talks should be held directly between President Kumaratunga and LTTE leader Prabhakaran, he said.
Bishop Malcolm Ranjith, secretary of the Catholic Bishop's Conference said that it is only through negotiation, can the country achieve peace. The LTTE has to be brought to the negotiation table together with the main opposition United National Party, JVP or People's Liberation Front and other political parties, he noted.
However, Wimal Weerawansa, spokesman of JVP or People's Liberation Front, a leftist party, said that there is no need for a third force to get involved in the peace process of the country. Norway's involvement can only strengthen the LTTE and pave the way for the Tiger rebels to build a separate state, he said.
The indifference of the government toward Norwegian envoy's latest effort has also caused confusion in the army.
Recently, President Kumaratunga and other top government officials have remained tough on Tiger rebels. They insisted that military attack against LTTE will continue till the rebels are finished.
Since early September when the general election campaign kicked off, government forces have intensified their military attack against LTTE. A limited areas have been retaken from the rebels but no major victory has been scored by government forces.
The Elephant Pass, a key gateway leading to the Jaffna peninsula in the north, which the government lost in April this year and vowed to recapture before October 10 Parliamentary election, is still under the control of LTTE.
Analysts said that although the meeting between Norwegian envoy and rebel leader was a sign of progress for the peace process in Sri Lanka, but real peace is still a far away dream cherished by a population of more than 18 million for so many years.
During the 17-year conflict the LTTE rebels have pulled out of negotiations several times, most recently in 1995 when it reneged on a truce with President Kumaratunga.
The lack of mutual confidence between government and rebels and the insistence on preconditions for peace talks by rebels have been the main obstacle standing on the way of any real progress in the peace process, they said.
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