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| Sunday, 24 November 2002 |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 1 429239 / 331181 Fax : 94 1 429230 Oslo Sri Lanka's peace endeavour reaches the global stage tomorrow at the international conference of aid donor countries in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Official delegations from over thirty countries, from Japan, our biggest aid donor, to the United States of America, the world's most powerful nation, are attending in what the hosts, Norway, has billed as a 'peace support' gathering of nations in solidarity with this country's struggle to survive as a nation and a civilized society. On the one hand, very senior governmental officials are leading the US and UK delegations to Oslo, giving a powerful signal to all actors in the Sri Lankan conflict that the world's great powers are in earnest about ending the crisis and ensuring a national recovery. On the other hand, Sri Lanka is enjoying the persevering and unstinted support of countries like Norway, that has been in the forefront of the delicate negotiating process and Japan, our biggest development partner, which has been a quiet but active collaborator in the peace effort. In short, Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans have many friends and well-wishers in the global arena who desire to help our country emerge successfully out of the worst crisis to plague our society in centuries. A most important aspect of the Oslo conference will be the meeting, for the first time, between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who leads the Government delegation and Dr. Anton Balasingham, the LTTE's chief peace negotiator, who leads the LTTE delegation to the conference. The Premier will have the able support of Ministers Rauf Hakeem, G. L. Peiris and Milinda Moragoda. That both the Government as well as the LTTE are sending delegations to Oslo is testimony to the dramatic progress towards a comprehensive peace achieved in recent months. The attendance of the conference by the LTTE is an important action by that movement that demonstrates its commitment to a negotiated political settlement of the conflict. It is also concrete proof of the LTTE's compromise with its original goal of secession. The LTTE's participation in Oslo is a further integration of that one-time rebel movement from the insurgent fringes into the fold of democratic, institutional politics and the civilian process of conflict resolution and governance. Before the watchful eyes of representatives of powerful governments, the LTTE will engage with the international community for the first time and must do so in a constructive manner. Likewise, the donor community will observe the Government's commitment to fulfilling its own obligations and responsibilities in the peace process: in fulfilling the provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement and, in ensuring that the process towards a political settlement moves forward constructively and democratically, involving the whole country and all its ethnic communities and major political forces. The participation of the LTTE in the Oslo conference is testimony to the dramatically swift progress of the peace process in recent months and demonstrates the readiness of the country as a whole to bring into the national fold the politico-military leadership that resisted ethnic inequity and struggled for the rights of an ethnic community. All eyes in Sri Lanka will be on Oslo and everyone, from the Head of State to the lowliest, most marginalised estate worker and peasant, will wish our Prime Minister, his Ministerial colleagues, and the LTTE delegation well. |
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