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Lanka ready to begin peace talks with LTTE

P Mohan Das in Colombo

The Government of Sri Lanka is ready for unconditional talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam without delay, G L Peiris, minister for constitutional affairs and industrial development, said.

"We are waiting to begin peace talks without any conditions, as agreed with the Norwegian facilitator, and we want to start talks now. This has been the government's position all along. This was also the understanding that had been reached with the Norwegian government in its initiative to facilitate peace negotiations," the minister told The Sunday Observer.

"Once the talks begin, a ceasefire will be a step in the process. As the talks proceed, we can come to an agreement on various matters related to war. After all, this is the whole purpose of holding talks," he said.

Meanwhile, Tamil political parties have expressed different views on the LTTE's unilateral ceasefire. While a majority of Tamil parties wanted the government to respond positively to the LTTE's 'goodwill measure', former chief minister of the Northeast and Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front Leader A Varatharaja Perumal said the ceasefire call need not be taken seriously.

"The LTTE should agree for negotiations and come to the negotiating table before crying for a unilateral ceasefire. If they are really sincere and honest in negotiating a political settlement, they should first stop all anti-people activities. The LTTE should also open the Jaffna-Vavuniya main road for the use of the public," he said.

Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation leader N Srikantha said the government should first respond positively to the LTTE's ceasefire offer. To ensure an effective ceasefire, the government troops should also be withdrawn to the barracks, he said.

But Justice Minister Batty Weerakoon said talks with the LTTE would be a waste of time. "The most meaningful thing for the moment is that we must go ahead with the Constitution. Thereafter we can see how the LTTE will react to it. Once this is done, I am certain that the LTTE will be isolated and that is what the LTTE fears."

Meanwhile, Norway, the country mediating between Colombo and the LTTE, has evolved a three-tier plan, which will be made available to the Chandrika Kumaratunga government for consideration and approval.

Norwegian special envoy Erik Solheim will undertake yet another visit to Colombo this week and submit the new proposals to the government in a fresh bid to break the deadlock on the embattled island, The Sunday Leader reported quoting informed Western diplomatic sources.

According to the sources, Norway, in its role as facilitator, had significantly modified its original draft of a 'staggered, reciprocal, de-escalation schedule' in an attempt to elicit preliminary consent by both parties, that would help establish mutual goodwill, confidence and trust, paving the way for direct negotiations.

First, the original de-escalation process draft has been altered to prioritise a demand made by the government, wherein it wanted the LTTE to declare a moratorium on all hostile activities in the seven provinces outside the Northeast. This includes all explosive attacks, suicide squad strikes, assassinations and other violent operations.

Secondly, it is proposed to do away with the element of reciprocity in the first stage of the schedule. Instead, the new line of thought is to get both the government and the LTTE to agree to and acknowledge the first stage of the de-escalation schedule simultaneously.

Thirdly, Norway has mooted the notion of an international committee to monitor the preliminary phase of the de-escalation schedule as agreed to by both parties.

The three-tier revised de-escalation schedule is being seen as a sign of Norway's appreciation of the objections expressed by the government in accepting the original schedule. The government wanted the moratorium on violence to be declared first. It was also wary of being asked to remove the ban on the LTTE first.

Now that these constraints have been tentatively removed, it is hoped that Colombo will find it possible to adhere to the peace process.

It remains to be seen whether the LTTE will accept the amended schedule. But given the extraordinary commitment displayed by the LTTE towards the peace process by declaring a unilateral ceasefire, the diplomatic sources are optimistic that the Tigers will be flexible.

In the northern peninsula, however, Sri Lankan troops launched yet another operation on Sunday in the Thanakilppu and Ariyali sectors.

The army spokesman, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne, told United News of India that stage two of Operation Kinihra-8 began on Saturday night and by Sunday morning troops had managed to push back the terrorists from Thanakilppu, south of Chavakachcheri, which they had been occupying since December last year.

"After almost one year, we have succeeded in flushing out the LTTE from these areas," Brig Karunaratne said.

In stage 1 of the operation on Saturday, troops wrested control of the strategic Navatkuli bridge on the A-9 highway, which is now fully under the control of the security forces.

"Our aim is to take full control of the Jaffna peninsula " he added.

Saturday's operation, the first since the LTTE's month-long unilateral ceasefire came into operation at midnight on December 24, saw troops regaining the village after overcoming what a senior officer described as 'limited resistance'.

The military now has control of all towns between Jaffna and Eluthumaduwal on the Jaffna-Kandy A9 highway. Eluthumaduval is situated about 32 km west of Jaffna. The strategic Elephant Pass is 22 km from Eluthumaduval on the same road.

After the capture of Elephant Pass in April this year, the LTTE had advanced towards Jaffna and captured Chavakachcheri, Eluthumaduval, Kaithadi, Thanakilppu and Ariyali. Now, except for Elephant Pass, the army has recaptured almost all other areas.

UNI

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