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Weakening Rebels Only Way to Bring Them to Negotiation Table: Sri Lankan Official
A senior Sri Lankan government official has said that the only way to force the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels is to militarily weaken them in the battle fields.
Deputy Defense Minister Anurudha Rattwatte, who is also power and energy minister, was quoted on Tuesday by the state owned Daily News as saying on Monday that the security forces were doing their best to militarily weaken the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, which is the only way of bringing them to the negotiating table to search for a fair solution to the ethnic problem.
He said the LTTE rebels, who have been fighting since 1983 for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country, had tried to strengthen their weakened military power by declaring a "deceitful" one-month unilateral ceasefire to de-escalate the security forces' successful military offensive in Jaffna peninsula in the north of the country.
The minister said that government had not reciprocated to Tiger rebels' ceasefire considering records in the 17-year war effort, and the government was compelled to fight the war not to provide a solution to the long-running ethnic conflict but to protect the rights of the majority of the people in the north.
If the Tiger rebels agreed to genuine negotiations, then the lessening of military action could be considered.
Meanwhile, Army Commander Lieutenant General Lional Balagalle in a New Year message to the troops delivered on Monday called on them to open the road to peace by overpowering the forces of terrorism. The victories and successful repulsion of attacks against them had given them sufficient experience to fulfill their goal, he said.
He said that the government forces are determined to eradicate terrorism and win the war with more powerful weapons in the course of this year.
The LTTE rebels declared on December 21 that they will start a month-long ceasefire from midnight on December 24 "as a goodwill measure to facilitate the peace process."
However, the government responded to the LTTE ceasefire offer two days later by saying it will consider a ceasefire only after peace negotiations between the government and the LTTE rebels proceed to the mutual satisfaction of both sides.
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