The Hindu : Sri Lanka Govt., LTTE sign ceasefire accord

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 23, 2002

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Sri Lanka Govt., LTTE sign ceasefire accord
By Nirupama Subramanian

VAVUNIYA, FEB. 22. The Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are set to begin an indefinite and mutually-agreed ceasefire from Saturday midnight for the first time since 1994, with both sides signing letters accepting the terms of the Norway-brokered truce.

But the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is in political co-habitation with the United National Front Government, immediately registered a strong protest, expressing concern over some provisions in the pact.

In a sternly-worded statement in Colombo, Ms. Kumaratunga said the agreement did not have her approval, and accused the Government of violating the consensual politics of co-habitation by ``ignoring procedures to obtain her consent''.

The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, handed in the Government's letter of acceptance to the Norwegian envoy, Jon Westborg, in this northern town today in a blaze of flashbulbs. Both flew in here in the morning for the event.

As stipulated in the agreement, the acceptance letters were signed by Mr. Wickremesinghe and the leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabakaran.

Mr. Westborg was flown by the Sri Lanka Air Force to Killinochchi on Thursday to collect the LTTE's acceptance letter, which was handed over to him by the political wing leader, S.P. Thamilselvan.

At a press conference here after the handing over of the letter, Mr. Wickremesinghe said he had discussed the agreement with Ms. Kumaratunga on Thursday night, but declined to reveal if she had given her consent to it.

A statement from the President was more telling.

``The procedures followed with regard to the Memorandum of Understanding, ignoring Constitutional provisions to obtain Presidential approval, as well as not informing the Cabinet of Ministers and Parliament, are considered improper and undemocratic and also violative of practices required by the consensual politics of co-habitation,'' a statement from her office said.

Careful to reiterate her support for the peace process, Ms. Kumaratunga, however, said that she had expressed concern to the Prime Minister on specific clauses.

But Mr. Wickremesinghe said the agreement in no way compromised national security and that the Sri Lankan armed forces retained the right to protect the territorial integrity of the country.

Sri Lanka is to issue a separate statement later tonight to reiterate that it retained the right to intercept the illegal movement of arms by the LTTE. Mr. Wickremesinghe said all three forces - the army, the air force and the navy - would have this right.

The ceasefire agreement does not contain a specific provision on this, but includes a provision stating the right of the Sri Lankan armed forces to perform their ``legitimate task of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka without engaging in offensive operations against the LTTE''.

But officials said the additional statement was being made to clarify the Government's position and pre-empt protests that the Government had not insisted on a specific clause in the agreement.

Norway, the official facilitator for the process, made the first official announcement of the ceasefire in Oslo this afternoon minutes after Mr. Wickremesinghe gave in his acceptance letter. The Norwegian Prime Minister, Kjell Bondevik, made a statement about the truce and released details of the document in Oslo.

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