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| Sunday, 8 June 2003 |
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Good response for PM's offer to LTTE Interim Administrative System for North-East? by P. Krishnaswamy & Deepal Warnakulasuriya Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's offer of an Interim Administrative System, in place of the Interim Administration Council demanded by the LTTE to get the peace talks back on track, has received a favourable response from representatives of minority parties and senior parliamentarians who say that the North and East requires a proper administrative structure. Lands Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne MP: "The LTTE has demanded a power structure beyond the constitutional framework. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has offered them the maximum possible power structure within the constitution. Earlier they suspended participation in the peace process on the grounds that (i) rehabilitation, resettlement and other development activities were not undertaken as pledged at the peace talks and (ii) they were sidelined in the pre-donor conference held in Washington, but waited until it was over to express their protest. It was not possible to postpone the Washington conference because the US was pre-occupied with the Iraq crisis. Fulfilling pledges over rehabilitation and development activities became difficult because there was neither political nor administrative machinery in operation for over 20 years. The people in the North are in a desperate condition and are languishing for want of all basic facilities. Relief and remedial measures should be provided to them expeditiously." Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Senior Vice President, Joseph Pararajasingham MP: "The LTTE's position was very clear from the inception of the peace process. They asked for an interim administrative structure for the North and East. During 9 months of talks, no positive action was taken for the formation of an interim administration for the LTTE to play a constructive role. They expected it to materialise before the Tokyo donor conference. Even in his last letter addressed to the Prime Minister, LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balansingham has requested the government to review its policy over the formation of an interim administrative structure and send them the details to resume the negotiatory process. The ball is now in the government's court. The ceasefire agreement and negotiatory process with the LTTE are not within the constitution. They are extra-constitutional instruments. So why cannot the North-East interim administration follow the same example? " Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Chairman and Deputy Minister of Housing, Basheer Segu Dawood MP: "Although the LTTE has not stepped down from its interim administration demand and rejected the-government's offer of an Apex Body, it has not made any announcement that the donor countries should not extend assistance for rehabilitation and other development activities in the North and East. When assistance is received, the LTTE should be entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking all such activities in the Tamil areas of the region, while the Muslim leadership should be entrusted with that task in the pre-dominant Muslim areas." Arumugam Thondaman, Leader of the Ceylon Workers' Congress: "We are supporting the interim administration system as the CWC. At this juncture, what the North and East require is a proper administrative structure. We have already passed a resolution in our ExCo meeting at Kandy to strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to deal with the issue. V. Anandasangarie, MP Tamil National Alliance: "We are Tamils and we also represent the Tamils. The idea of an interim administration is not a new concept and enough had been spoken about it in Sri Lanka. We are happy with the Prime Minister's decision to consult the main opposition parties as well as the Muslim and Tamil parties". "We are not demanding a power sharing system, but any administrative structure where all three communities could live peacefully, is our wish. Therefore, I think it is a practical but significant gesture from the government to continue with the peace process. Lakshman Kadirgamar, MP People's Alliance: "The PA's stand on an interim administration system is very clear. It has been revealed by us as well as President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga several times. We have clearly mentioned how it should be given to the LTTE, what else to say?" |
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