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| Sunday, 29 August 2004 |
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SLMM positive war not imminent by Ranga Jayasuriya and Ananth Palakidnar The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Deputy Chief Hagrup Haukland is confident that there is no danger to the ceasefire and an eruption of war is not imminent. Making an assessment on the ground situation in the North and the East Haukland told the Sunday Observer individual killings in the region were the key concern of the SLMM and this was conveyed to the LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan at a top level discussion SLMM chief Trond Furuhovde had with him at Killinochi on Wednesday. According to Haukland the Ceasfire Monitors are constantly monitoring the situation in the North and the East and there were no signs of big clashes between the LTTE and the armed forces. "We expect the co-operation of both sides to prevent any untoward incident and to remain committed to the ceasefire" Haulkand said. Meanwhile SLMM spokesperson Oskar Solnes commenting on the discussion which was held between the SLMM hierarchy and S.P Thamilselvan said that Thamilselvan denied involvement in killings, holding a third party responsible. "We told the LTTE that the Government believes the LTTE is behind killings and media suggest that the LTTE is responsible," Solnes told the Sunday Observer. "LTTE is also aware of that," he said. While describing, Thamilselvan's response to the SLMM request as a "limited response", Solnes said truce monitors hoped to see an improvement in ground situation in the East. Solnes said the LTTE agreed to provide information on the locations of its camps in Trincomalee to the SLMM for its inquiry on the alleged LTTE build up around Trinco harbour. "The Security Forces have provided information on LTTE camps. The LTTE, while rejecting a build up of its camps agreed to provide information," he said. He said the SLMM is working on setting up of a mechanism to exchange detainees between the two parties. At present, two home guards have been kidnapped and held by the Tigers tit for tat to the arrest of two LTTE cadres in Batticaloa by the Security Forces. "There is a legal procedure in this. We will sit down and discuss this and work out a mechanism, which enables detainees to be set free without going through a protracted period in detention," he said. Meanwhile the Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian Suresh K. Premachandran told the Sunday Observer that the LTTE political wing leader S.P.Thamilselvan was meeting the TNA parliamentarians at Killinochi tomorrow and key issues such as resuming the talks between the Government and the LTTE ,the current political scenario are to be discussed. "I am confident that the LTTE is more particular on resuming the talks. Since the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals were presented to the then Government of Ranil Wickremesinghe the peace process came to a standstill. Therefore beginning the talks on the basis of ISGA is the only remedy to prevent the total collapse of the peace process in the future," Suresh Premachandran said. |
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