TULF asks LTTE to join political process

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JUNE 24. Breaking with the practice of placing the onus for the resolution of the ethnic conflict on the Sri Lankan Government, the moderate Tamil United Liberation Front today took the unusual step of reminding the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that it too had a responsibility towards the Tamil minority.

In a statement issued after its executive committee meeting, the party secretary-general, Mr. R. Samapanthan, asked the LTTE to make a ``serious effort'' to join the political process for the sake of the Tamil people.

``While urging the Government to make every honest effort to engage the LTTE in negotiating a solution to the Tamil national question, the TULF also appeals to the LTTE to come into the process of negotiations and make a serious effort to evolve an acceptable solution. Such a step would be in the best interests of the Tamil people,'' he said.

This is the first time in several years that the TULF has dared to state that the LTTE has as much a part in ending the protracted war as the Government. So far, the TULF has been perceived as a party that lives in mortal fear of the Tigers, and takes its cues from them.

The TULF appeal came in the wake of a reiteration yesterday by the President, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga, that the LTTE could join the proposed interim council to administer the north-east, if it gave up violence and join the democratic mainstream.

According to reports, an agreement has been reached between the ruling coalition and the opposition UNP to set up an interim council to administer north-eastern Sri Lanka as a means to implement the devolution package.

The TULF has opposed the setting up of a council, for which it has been accused of singing the LTTE tune. Analysts said the statement might be an effort to correct the perception that the TULF had shackled itself to the LTTE and assert its neutrality.

The statement made no mention of the interim council and instead appealed to the international community, ``particularly India, and also Norway,'' to facilitate the ``commencement of a process of serious negotiations'' to evolve an ``acceptable solution'' to the Tamil question.

It also reiterated the TULF commitment to the ``reasonable aspirations of the Tamil-speaking Muslim people of the north- east'' and said it had always made every attempt to accommodate these demands.

The statement also said ``over 500 non-combatant civilians'' had been killed in the Jaffna Peninsula in recent fighting. ``It was observed (by the TULF executive committee) that... there was every danger of the aggravation of death, injury and destruction to non-combatant civilians, if the military conflict between the armed forces and the LTTE escalated, which appeared to be a distinct possibility,'' it said.

Blaming the armed forces for firing heavy artillery in the civilian areas, the TULF called on both sides to ``give their utmost consideration to the safety of non-combatant civilians and civilian interests...''. ``The TULF desires to emphasise that the responsibility lies with the government to take such action as is necessary to protect non-combatant Tamil civilians,'' the statement added.

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