International   

Colombo, LTTE take opposing positions

V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) commenced in Geneva on Wednesday their two-day direct talks on implementation issues of the four-year old ceasefire agreement (CFA).

The two delegations took distinct and sharply opposed positions in their opening speeches. Colombo's chief negotiator, Nimal Siripala de Silva, proposed to "rectify certain grave anomalies" in the CFA. His counterpart from the LTTE, Anton S. Balasingham, put forward his organisation's main demand — disarming of paramilitaries — and wanted the talks to explore "ways and means to stabilise and strengthen the CFA."

The two sides saw the CFA as critical to continued peace. Expressing the Government's "strong determination and desire to preserve the ceasefire," Mr. de Silva said "we also consider the CFA as the first step to arrive a negotiated settlement." He said the CFA entered into in 2002 was "contrary to Constitution and law," and that it was "prejudicial to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Sri Lanka."

Mr. Balasingham described the signing of the CFA four years ago as the "most constructive achievement of the Norwegian facilitated peace process."

The similarities, however, were largely limited to these broad endorsements as the Government and the LTTE outlined the violations committed by each other.

Two key facilitators, Norwegian Minister for International Development Erik Solheim and Vidar Helgesen, former Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister the Political Affairs and Director in the Swiss Foreign Ministry, Urs Ziswiler, were present during the opening ceremony.

Ceasefire undermined

Mr. de Silva said the LTTE had "taken undue and unfair advantage of the CFA to strengthen its military capability" and that the violations had "undermined the spirit of the ceasefire and threatened its termination." He particularly criticised the LTTE for the assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar saying it was a "demonstration" of the rebels' "disregard" for the CFA.

The LTTE's central theme was the disarming of paramilitaries. "The existence of Tamil armed paramilitary groups is an indisputable fact," Mr. Balasingham said. He named "the Karuna Group," three former militant parties — the EPDP, the PLOTE and a faction of the EPRLF and a "Muslim paramilitary group, Jihad group."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Clashes as Shia shrine is bombed
Colombo, LTTE take opposing positions
Shrinking space for the sharks
Rajaratnam is dead
"Serbia shielding Mladic"
China unveils plans to develop rural economy
No plan for military tie-up with U.S.: Tyagi
``We will nudge India, Pakistan''
Sir Ben to act in aid of quake-hit

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu