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| Sunday, 11 September 2005 |
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Venue for proposed ceasefire talks
Tigers baulk at BIA idea by Ranga Jayasuriya The LTTE's rejection of the Katunayake International Airport as the venue for the proposed ceasefire talks reconfirms, as we pointed out last week, that more than anything else the Tigers' intransigence in their pursuit of legitimacy and international recognition is the primary cause that has stalled talks. The Norwegian proposal sounded a reasonable compromise for both parties as it addressed LTTE concerns for security as well as the government's position that the talks be held locally. While, proposing the airport as the venue for the meeting, the Norwegian peace facilitators substantiated it with the fact that any travel out of the country by the LTTE would have involved a few hours of transit at the airport. Thamilselvan rejects proposal "...hence we draw the conclusion that this venue should be acceptable to the LTTE," said the Norwegian Embassy in a media statement on Wednesday, a day before Ambassador Hans Brattskar met LTTE political commissar S. P. Thamilselvan. But, the LTTE leadership did not subscribe to the Norwegian view and Thamilselvan rejected the Norwegian proposal and insisted on talks to be held abroad or in their defacto administrative capital, Kilinochchi. It would have been a paradox had the Tigers agreed to meet the government at the Katunayake Airport, their scene of crime where Black Tigers blew up four airbuses, two months before al Queada members rammed passenger planes at the twin towers and the Pentagon. No doubt, the Katunayake Airport being one of the heavily guarded places has the adequate security for the LTTE delegation. political agenda But, it is not security that is the prime concern of the LTTE in deciding the venue, but its political agenda, even though LTTE political commissar S.P.Thamilselvan would tell otherwise. The LTTE, by rejecting the Norwegian proposal has underlined that it is not ready to compromise its pursuit for legitimacy against the sovereignty of the Sri Lankan State, whatever implications it would have on the already fragile peace process. "... the argument that it (the airport) is secure for LTTE as a transit point to a location outside Sri Lanka, does not hold good when what is contemplated is a serious political discussion involving decisions at the top to trickle down to the armed forces for proper implementation of the CFA," Thamilselvan was quoted as saying in the LTTE Peace Secretariat's web site. another strategy The LTTE political leader argues that the "political vacuum" necessitates a "common venue equally comfortable for both the parties". When Thamilselvan talks of a "political vacuum" which he attributes to the absence of meetings between the two parties to the CFA and frustration among people at the non-implementation of the clauses of the truce agreement, he should remember that it was the LTTE that refused to attend routine monthly meetings with the security forces commanders and that it was the LTTE that boycotted the Sub Committee of Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) intended to support reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement in the North-East. Having failed to bring the two parties to an agreement over the venue, Norwegians are now planning another strategy to bolster the fragile ceasefire, this time by the former SLMM chief Trond Furuhovde who will be visiting the island next month. "We regret to conclude that the parties have not reached agreement on the venue ... at this juncture, the Norwegian Embassy said after Ambassador Brattskar's meeting with Thamilselvan turned futile. Gen.Furuhovde was the first Head of the Mission of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. He was sent here to take over the SLMM for a second term, when his successor, Tryggve Telleffsen was declared persona non grata by President Chandrika Kumaratunga when the Navy accused him of leaking information about a Navy operation to seize a vessel suspected of smuggling weapons for the Tigers. security situation Gen. Furuhovde resigned in the middle of his second term citing health reasons and during his visit to the island next month he will consult both parties on the security situation. Given the new wave of sentiments against terrorism -reinforced by 7/7 London attack- Tigers would no longer have a free ride and the Norwegian proposal is not an issue the LTTE leadership can easily shrug off. There is a growing global understanding that the Tigers have not yet given up terrorism, a fact highlighted by the killing of Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The Sri Lankan peace process is internationalized from its outset. But, the question however is as to whether the international community was successful in its strategy - which was no more than the indulgence of the Tigers. One would argue that the approach of the international community itself is an illustration of the double standard of the West, which while fighting al Qaeada, roles out a red carpet for the members of an equally ruthless militant group. The Peace Secretariat Chief Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala made the point this week, when he told at a Congressionally sponsored forum on Capitol Hill on Sri Lanka when he asked for stronger international actions to push the Tigers to return to the negotiations. "The root of appeasement, or the carrot and more carrots approach, have not worked," he said adding that "We are not seeing any sticks by the international community." International community fails The peace secretariat chief said such international indulgence, in the hopes that rebels will embrace the peace process, is not working. The International community has not done enough to force the Tigers to give up terrorism and through its failure, it has failed the Sri Lankan governments, both the Wickremesinghe and Kumaratunga Administrations which opened up the peace process for the extra-territorial actors, despite possible implications such a move could have on the sovereignty of the Sri Lankan State, with the hope that an active role by the international community would be a deterrent to the Tigers to return to war. diplomatic clout Of course, the current ceasefire has been holding over three and half years, a salient achievement given the fact that the previous peace efforts collapsed within months. Indeed, the presence of the international community coupled with post-September 11 world opinion against terrorism is one reason for the continuance of the truce agreement. In this context, remarks by the External Affairs Commissioner of the European Union, Benita Ferrero-Waldner that the Tigers should meet the government in Colombo highlights that the EU is planning to use its diplomatic clout to tame the Tigers, who still have safe havens in most EU countries. Britain is the only EU nation which has banned the Tigers. Mrs Ferrero-Waldner was quoted as saying to the IANS news agency that the EU would speak to the highest level of the LTTE, referring to Velupillai Prabhakaran. She also said that the individual countries should decide a possible ban on the Tigers because of continuing acts of violence. While saying it is up to the member states to decide on the ban on the Tigers, she hinted that the Tigers won't be banned at this moment when she said: "We have to keep all channels open at this crucial time." Moving from EU to the UN; much celebrated story that the UN is replacing Norway as the facilitator turned to be a hype. UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was non committal when he spoke to the press last week. "There is no question of that (about UN as the facilitator). No body asked us, we haven't offered. So I am not looking for a job," he said. UN role Mr. Brahimi, a former Foreign Minister of Algeria, was non committal when he was asked whether the UN would take up the challenge, if a request comes from the Sri Lankan Government for a greater UN role in the peace process. "That has to be decided by where it (request) comes from, who asks for it and what role is expected,"he said. He said the Secretary General wanted him to visit the island, in the wake of the killing of Minister Kadirgamar, because the ceasefire has become a bit "tricky" and he will brief the Secretary General on his return. Asked what would happen thereafter he said," it ends there, I hope". |
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