Pressure mounting on Govt. to respond to LTTE ceasefire

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JAN. 4. Pressure is growing on Sri Lanka to respond quickly to the LTTE's call for talks with the growing view that the rebel group has stolen the moral high ground from the Government through its unilateral ceasefire.

The Peace Support Group (PSG), a body of academics, professional and social activists, today said the LTTE's poor track record was insufficient reason for the Government not to seize the opportunity offered by the group for negotiations.

``De-escalation leading to ceasefire is an indispensable component of any meaningful process that aims at a negotiated settlement and the resolution of the causes that has led to the present protracted and bloody armed conflict,'' the PSG said in a statement.

It did not expect either party to trust the other side, the presence of an international facilitator could aid in building mutual confidence and commitment, the PSG added.

The National Peace Council appealed to the Government to swiftly utilise the potential created by the ceasefire for the de- escalation and de-militarisation of the conflict.

``Whatever the motivations behind a ceasefire offer may be, even in the midst of mutual distrust between both parties to this conflict, it is not to be lightly rejected. It offers a new space and a new opportunity for non-violent forward movement towards peace talks,'' it said in a statement.

Eleven Tamil parties, including those with parliamentary representation in the troubled north-east, said on Wednesday they would begin a nation-wide campaign to bring pressure on the Government to reciprocate the ceasefire.

The perception among those favouring quick peace talks is that despite the rhetoric on both sides that appears to be taking them along two parallel tracks with no divergence in sight, in actuality, the positions of the Government and the LTTE on negotiations have never been so close but that accumulated mistrust is clouding reason and preventing them from coming together.

The PSG said that particularly encouraging was the acceptance by both parties of the broad parameters set out by the mutually- accepted Norwegian facilitators, that a political solution to Tamil aspirations had to be found within the framework of a united Sri Lanka.

The Norwegian peace envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, conveyed this to the LTTE leader, Mr. Velupillai Prabhakaran, in person last November. Though Mr. Prabhakaran is reported to have not made any response to this, the fact that did not leave the room either is cited as evidence that for whatever reason, he may be willing to consider a non-Eelam solution.

The pro-talks lobby believes that the Government must seize and build upon this for an early political resolution.

But at each stage of the process that began with the Solheim- Prabhakaran meeting on November 1, the Government has been seen as groping for an appropriate response. In particular, many are surprised by the Government's military operations during the LTTE's unilateral ceasefire.

It is believed that the return of the Sri Lankan President, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga, after a long absence from the country may revitalise the peace process in the coming days. There are also high expectations of Norway, and in this respect, there is a build-up of anticipation around Mr. Solheim's next visit to Sri Lanka, which could be as early as next week.

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