The Hindu : Sept. 11 accelerated peace process: Ranil

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 26, 2002

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International

Sept. 11 accelerated peace process: Ranil

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON JULY 25. The terror attacks on America last September accelerated a peace process in Sri Lanka, but the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil Tigers could be seen talking even in the absence of September 11, maintained the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, here.

"I would say September 11 accelerated a process but the question if September 11 did not take place could we be seen talking, yes. But September 11 created an environment in which we thought it would be possible to come to a conclusion, to come to an agreement'', Mr. Wickremesinghe said in response to a question from The Hindu at the National Press Club.

"Well, even before September 11, my party has been talking of the need for a political settlement. So, we would have been sitting down and talking. But September 11 did alter the situation in the sense that it gave a window of opportunity to try and come to an agreement'', the Sri Lankan leader said.

"On the one hand, the major Governments of the world, especially the Western world, decided that they wanted to see an end to global terrorism and also to see wherever possible the arms struggle, guerilla warfare and terrorism in the national context. They were looking at different flow of funds, taking more stringent methods than they did earlier. All this contributed in a way to a settlement.''

Mr. Wickremesinghe, who met the U.S. President, George W. Bush, at the Oval Office on Wednesday, said the American leader backed the people of Sri Lanka in their desire for peace, calling the process "courageous".

The Sri Lankan leader, who is the first from his country in about 18 years to come to the White House, also had a meeting with senior officials of the administration such as the Secretary of State and the National Security Adviser.

In his interaction with media representatives and others, Mr. Wickremesinghe took a wide range of questions including on specifics of the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the strife torn areas of his country. The U.S. will be sending teams to look at different economic strategies.

"Foreign assistance is required for our reconstruction. We do believe that peace itself will be the biggest boost for Sri Lankan economy,'' he said.

He did not have any specific time frame for talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. "After August 2, I think the LTTE will also have to decide to give some signal...before the end of the year certainly, may be in the next few months, talks will have to commence I have confidence.''

He stressed that Colombo had been in touch with foreign capitals on the status of the ongoing process.

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