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Geneva talks a victory for the nation, says Rajapakse

V.S. Sambandan

Talks focussed on LTTE's demand of ``disarming the paramilitaries'': Balasingham

Mahinda Rajapakse

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse, has described the Geneva talks as a "victory for the entire nation," and promised to continue with his peace efforts despite opposition from his unitarist and hardline electoral allies, a media report said.

"I will not suspend the efforts to find a lasting solution to the problems faced by the Tamils by wilting under pressure from opposition by those who want to push the country backward," Mr. Rajapakse told a public rally in southern Sri Lanka.

In one of his first public comments on the outcome of the Geneva talks, Mr. Rajapakse described the current situation as an opportune moment to end the separatist conflict. "I now have the good opportunity to find a solution to the problems faced by Tamils for two decades and the establish peace among all three ethnicities [Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims]. In the welfare of the country, I will never abandon opportunity," Mr. Rajapakse was quoted by the Sudar Oli newspaper as telling the rally.

On the specific opposition by his electoral allies — the unitarist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the majoritarian Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) — Mr. Rajapakse said: "Despite what is said by anyone, people have accepted that the Geneva talks have served as a foundation for a solution to the north-eastern crisis." In another development, the LTTE's chief negotiator, S. Balasingham, has insisted that the Government should disarm the armed groups as agreed in Geneva.

In a Tamil radio programme aired on Saturday morning, Mr. Balasingham said the issue was discussed in detail at Geneva. He maintained that the groups named by the LTTE in Geneva were "paramilitaries" and wanted the Government to disarm them. Mr. Balasingham also described the Geneva talks as a "victory" for the LTTE. "We had gone with a specific purpose and we have achieved what we set out to do," Mr. Balasingham said. The two-day Geneva talks, held on February 22 and 23, was focussed largely on the LTTE's demand of "disarming the paramilitaries," At the end of the two-day talks, the LTTE and the Government committed themselves to upholding the ceasefire agreement signed in February 2002 by the then Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran.

The next round of Geneva talks are scheduled to be held between April 19 and 22. The LTTE has said that the holding of the second round of Geneva talks would depend on implementation of agreements reached last month.

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Geneva talks a victory for the nation, says Rajapakse

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