Movement forward in Sri Lanka peace talks

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, MAY 11. In a significant development, both the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have announced progress towards the Norwegian-assisted peace talks, though both disagree on the extent of the forward movement.

The LTTE said today that there had been a ``substantial progress'' on a set of reciprocal confidence building measures (CBMs) with the Sri Lankan Government to create a congenial atmosphere for direct talks. In a statement, it also said that it was studying a Norwegian proposal for a bilateral cessation of hostilities and a final agreement on this could be reached only after ``further clarifications and discussions.''

However, the statement denied a release from the office of the Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, that an ``agreement'' had been reached on ``several issues'' between the two sides and charged that it was ``premature and irresponsible'' to say so.

The Norwegians too joined the debate with a statement that strove to maintain Oslo's carefully cultivated neutrality in the process. ``There is no overall agreement between the parties in the Sri Lankan conflict. On the other hand, the parties agree on certain issues but until they agree on all issues it is definitely too early to say that an agreement is reached which will be the fundament for talks,'' the release said.

Mr. Kadirgamar's statement was issued on Thursday, based on a letter from him to his Norwegian counterpart, Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland, reaffirming the Government's commitment to the Oslo- assisted process.

It said the parties to the conflict had decided to take measures to ``alleviate any hardships and dangers to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict, and contribute to building understanding and a foundation on which negotiations can take place.'' The measures would be embodied in a document, the Minister's release said, adding that the letter to the Norwegian Foreign Minister outlined matters on which agreement had been reached.

However, the LTTE said that while ``substantial progress'' had been made, no agreement had been reached so far on any of the issues under discussion. ``The Norwegian project, which calls for goodwill measures of mutual reciprocity, aims at de-escalation of the conflict and creation of a congenial atmosphere conducive for talks. We hope an agreement can be reached soon on the Norwegian proposal after further discussions and clarifications on certain matters,'' it said.

A proposal for a bilateral ceasefire submitted to it by Norway on Wednesday was ``constructive'' but it too required ``further clarifications and discussions.''

Crucially, the LTTE hinted in a roundabout fashion in its statement that the demand for lifting Sri Lanka's ban on it was not a pre-condition for talks.

``Though normalisation of civilian life in the Tamil homeland and cessation of armed hostilities are crucial for the resumption of peace negotiations, we have also called upon the Sri Lanka Government through the Norwegian facilitators to lift the ban on our liberation organisation so that we can participate in the peace negotiations as the authentic political organisation representing the people of Tamil Eelam,'' it said.

The Norwegians, in their statement, said they would continue their shuttle diplomacy to sort out all issues of disagreement between the Government and the LTTE and said the special envoy expected to meet the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, the Foreign Minister and the LTTE leaders in the ``near future'' without specifying a date.

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Section  : International
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