Monday, Sep 02, 2002
Monday, Sep 02, 2002 |
| International | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | International
By V.S. Sambandan
The President's observations, a fortnight before the Thailand talks begin on September 16, will have two consequences. On the political front, they come at a time when the ruling United National Party (UNP), a party sharply opposed to her People's Alliance (PA), is planning a constitutional amendment to clip her powers of dissolving Parliament. On the ethnic conflict front, it comes just after the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration said that it would lift the ban 10 days before direct talks commence. Ms. Kumaratunga's observations, which could well be a posture to leverage on the constitutional amendments as well as to set the terms for the talks, is seen by political observers as having "a spoiler effect'' on the conflict resolution process. ``The ban on the Tigers should be lifted based on positive results from the peace process. There is no Cabinet decision to lift the ban. I do not know if a decision had been taken when I was out of the country. I would certainly have opposed lifting the ban if the matter came up before Cabinet when I was there," Ms. Kumaratunga was quoted as telling a delegation of hardliners, which included a representative of the Sinhala Commission, which had vociferously opposed her constitutional reforms package a few years ago. On the issue of interim administration, the main talking point for the rebels in Thailand, Ms. Kumaratunga said such a move should be taken "only after all issues are discussed and a settlement is reached. Based on the time taken to implement a final settlement, there can be an interim administration''. The President's position has "a spoiler effect on the peace process'', Keteshwaran Loganathan, attached to the Colombo-based think tank, Centre for Policy Alternatives, told The Hindu. "It comes as a contradiction'' to the earlier position taken by the PA that the ban could be lifted after the dates were announced, he pointed out. Linking the grant of an interim administration to a final settlement was "premature'', Mr. Loganathan, who was a member of the Tamil delegation at the 1985-Thimpu talks, said. The interim administration, which was being envisaged, was a "pre-settlement arrangement''. However, "as the interim administration cannot stand on its own without a vision of a final solution'', it was "unavoidable that the core issues also be brought into the agenda for the peace talks. But to stipulate that the final agreement is reached on core issues before setting up an interim administration creates complications is premature," Mr. Loganathan said. In effect, Ms. Kumaratunga's position on the interim administration makes it a transitional administration. Moreover, the LTTE has already said that it would not come for negotiations as a banned organisation and had insisted on de-proscription before talks commence.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
