Sri Lanka reiterates right to self-defence

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JULY 5. Apparently angered by the concern expressed by India and the United States at the recent air raids in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka has reiterated its right to defend its territorial integrity and, at the same time, its continued commitment to the Norwegian-facilitated peace process.

In a statement that, like the Indian and U.S. statements, was in the form of replies to questions, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, asserted the Government's right to take whatever action it deemed necessary to protect the country's territorial integrity.

Taking an oblique swipe at the countries which expressed concern at the action, he said: ``Every Government has to face difficult decisions when it comes to defending its territorial integrity. In making them, the government must not be deterred by what political opponents and others, including other governments, might say. Each sovereign state is the best judge, the sole judge, of dangers to its territorial integrity.''

The aerial bombardment of LTTE targets in Jaffna last weekend was undertaken after intelligence reports indicated a massive build- up by the rebels in preparation for an attack. ``It would have been a folly on the part of the highest order, and a grave dereliction of duty on the part of the Government, to have ignored the evidence.''

On the accusations that the air raids were carried out to deflect the growing political challenge to the Government by the Opposition, Mr. Kadirgamar said there was no political consideration behind the action taken in national interest. He dismissed concerns that this would have a negative fallout on the peace process, and said Sri Lanka continued to remain committed to the Norwegian facilitation for talks with the LTTE.

Oslo names team

Mr. Kadirgamar revealed that consequent to Sri Lanka's request to Norway to participate at a higher level in the process, Oslo had named a team comprising the Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Raymond Johansen, the ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Jon Westborg, the former chief facilitator, Mr. Erik Solheim, and a Foreign Ministry official, Ms. Kjersti Tromsdal. Norway had conveyed this simultaneously to Sri Lanka and the LTTE on the afternoon of June 30.

The bombing commenced the same day. Mr. Kadirgamar seems to have made a point of mentioning the timing perhaps to explain why a lengthy government statement justifying the air raids that morning contained no reference to the new Norwegian team or to the peace process in general.

Reiterating that there could be no military solution to the Sri Lankan conflict, he said the Government was ``determined'' to go on with the peace process, and invited the LTTE to agree to negotiations without pre-conditions.

The whole tone of the ``interview'', given by Mr. Kadirgamar to a ``special correspondent'' of an unspecified newspaper, recalled an outburst by him against the United Nations two years ago, asking it to restrict its concern to ``malaria and mosquitoes''.

That was after the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed concern at rising civilian casualties following an air raid in northern Sri Lanka that killed 21 civilians, and an apparent retaliatory attack by the LTTE on a Sinhalese village that left 50 people dead. Significantly, India said nothing then.

India criticised

Meanwhile, New Delhi's recent expression of ``disappointment'' at ``events'' in Sri Lanka in response to a question by a journalist on the air raids has come in for criticism from several other quarters.

The National Joint Committee, a federation of hardline Sinhala organisations, described the statement as ``uncalled for''. ``Has India fallen victim to the LTTE's propaganda campaign... or is India engaged in a more devious undertaking with a hidden agenda, the object of which is to destabilise Sri Lanka?'' it wondered in a press release.

Taking the opportunity to rake up India's involvement in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, the daily Island said New Delhi's concern was cause for ``amusement'', especially as it had offered only ``humanitarian assistance'' last year during the Elephant Pass military crisis. The newspaper had earlier said the Indian reaction was part of a campaign orchestrated by the LTTE.

India's apparent criticism of the Government in recent days, including an earlier statement expressing concern at the loss of lives in a military operation in the Jaffna peninsula in April, has also led to speculation that New Delhi is taking sides in the unfolding political battle between the ruling People's Alliance and the Opposition United National Party.

Earlier this week, the UNP leader, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, read out India's reaction to the air raids at a public meeting while telling his audience that even the international community had lost confidence in the PA Government.

A report in a Sinhalese newspaper on Wednesday said India had agreed to settle the debts owed by the Ceylon Workers' Congress to a bank if the party, a constituent of the PA, voted for a no- confidence motion being brought against the Government by the UNP.

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