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| Sunday, 16 May 2004 |
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Early breakthrough in peace process by Ranga Jayasuriya The Norwegians' shuttle diplomacy between Colombo and Kilinochchi seems to be largely successful. News from the Wanni after an unexpected second visit by Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen on Thursday hinted of a possible early breakthrough in resuming peace talks. LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham after the meeting with Helgesen told the press that the Government and the Tigers have reached a consensus on most of the fundamental issues relating to the resumption of peace negotiations. He said the Government and the LTTE would reach a decision on the time and venue for the resumption of the negotiations within a day or two. "The preliminary efforts and arrangements to restart the negotiations are very satisfactory," Balasingham told a press conference after a two hour meeting with Helgesen. He, however, said that no definite decisions were reached on these issues adding that there are practical problems to be sorted out over when and where to hold talks. Balasingham said that the LTTE has stated that powerful ministers should take part in the talks. Interestingly, the LTTE theoretician also added that the Tigers were convinced that President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was "taking genuine and sincere steps towards the resumption of peace talks". Indeed, Helgesen's second visit to Kilinochchi, which came two days after the first meeting with the Tiger supremo was a surprise to many an observer. It was not previously planned, not in the itinerary of the visiting Norwegian delegation. According to the earlier schedule, the visit of the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jan Petersen and Helgesen was confined to two days. The two Norwegian facilitators arrived on Monday and met the President the same day. Then they flew to Kilinochchi the next day to meet Prabhakaran and Balasingham for their first meeting with the Tiger supremo since the election of the UPFA to power. The meeting was for them to come to an understanding on the LTTE's stance on the resumption of talks. After the meeting with the Norwegian Facilitators on Tuesday, Balasingham told the press that Tigers "suggested" that proposals for an Interim Self-Governing Authority to be taken up for discussion first, responding to a proposal by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to hold parallel talks towards a permanent solution. Further, the LTTE demanded that it be accepted as the sole representative of Tamils and talks to be held on an equal basis, i.e. the Tigers to be treated as the equal partners in the peace process. Balasingham told the press that the President had said that she was prepared to accept the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamils and the talks could be held on the basis of equal partnership; and the ISGA proposals could be the basis of negotiations. Then, having returned to Colombo, the Norwegians met President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in the evening to hand her LTTE proposals on resumption of negotiations. On Thursday, Helgesen flew back to Kilinochchi with the President's response which Balasingham described as satisfactory. With what could be deemed as an early breakthrough, an official announcement on the resumption of the talks is expected any moment now. However, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar pointed to what would be ahead once the peace negotiations commence. Delivering a lecture at the Brookings Institute, Washington, he said both parties will have to make compromises in what he called "arduous negotiations". "The Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal, on the face of it, will be very difficult for a sovereign government to accept. It has no reference to a Parliament, claims a separate Auditor General, and demands a 200 mile maritime zone along two-thirds of Sri Lanka's coast. It is a blue print for a future separate State." "Discussions will take place and arduous negotiations will happen. Compromises have to be made," he said. The Foreign Minister elaborated on his statement on the LTTE being the sole representative. "My stand is that LTTE by implication is the sole representative of the Tamil people, at the negotiating table. This is the same position Prime Minister Premadasa, President Kumaratunga (in her earlier term) and former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe took. This is also the de facto situation that we have to accept," he said. He, however, stressed the whole community should be consulted outside the negotiating table to ensure that everyone understands the issues. Meanwhile, the main opposition - UNP responded ambiguously to the latest efforts to put the peace process back on the track. Former Lands Minister Rajitha Senaratne on a live TV debate on Tuesday said the UNP would support the peace process even if the UPFA's junior partner, the JVP opposes it. But, on Thursday the former Government's chief peace negotiator G. L. Peiris went on to call the latest peace efforts a sham and said the UNP would not support it. He charged that the Government was using the peace process as a ruse to make up a parliamentary majority and attract foreign aid. He alleged that the peace process lacks clarity and substance. He however said the UNP would support a peace process based on the Oslo statement of 2002 and Tokyo Declaration of June 2003. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, however told the BBC Sinhala Service that the UNP has assured its support for the peace process. So the UNP's stance on the peace process is contradictory. And this would surely cost a party which not long ago campaigned solely on the peace card. As the modalities for resumption of talks are likely to be finalised within the coming days, the UNP too needs to make its stance on the talks clear. |
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