Saturday, May 10, 2003
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By V.S. Sambandan
Lt. Gen. Nambiar's proposals — which include various confidence-building measures — weaken the case for unilateral de-escalation.The issue has already stalled the peace process as the rebels wanted unilateral pullout of troops by Colombo and suspended negotiations on April 21. In an eight-page report on the HSZs, Lt. Gen. Nambiar has mooted phased de-escalation - initially in and around largely civilian areas of Jaffna peninsula and then in the essentially zones of strategic military importance. The former commander also noted that his suggestions "can only be effected provided'' certain confidence-building measures were in place. While recommending the steps to be taken for a phased and linked de-escalation, Lt. Gen. Nambiar also pointed out that his suggestions "will need to be carefully calibrated against the ethnic dimensions for implementation.'' The need for an agreement between Colombo and the Tigers on linked de-escalation "at the peace talks'' was also stressed by the retired Indian general, who presented his report in a personal capacity on the invitation of the Sri Lankan Government. The political and military aspects implementation was not ignored. Lt. Gen. Nambiar, making the point that Sri Lankan military commanders ``seem to have much difficulty in coming to terms with the reality of the status of the LTTE as a party to the peace process that has been put in place, also referred to the "posturing of various political parties in the south'' as imposing limitations on field commanders. Moreover, "there is deep suspicion about the activities of the LTTE's political leadership and its cadres'' also prevailed. On the issue of rebel armoury, Lt. Gen. Nambiar suggested that the LTTE"s "long-range weaponry can be placed in designated areas under international monitoring'' or if the Tigers found this "unacceptable,'' they could be kept in existing deployed areas, but still under international monitoring. As the Tigers are unlikely to agree to a unilateral arrangement, the SLA "will also need to subject itself to such an arrangement,'' he said, adding field commanders "did not seem to have any reservations about this possible requirement.'' Among the confidence-building measures, Lt. Gen. Nambiar has mooted the use of the Jaffna-Kandy highway, which runs through rebel-held areas. Referring to the need for an international observer mission, he said the Army convoys should accompany the troop convoys through LTTE areas and that these "should not be stopped or searched by the LTTE, nor should they be escorted'' by the rebels. For CBMs, he has also placed for consideration "placing small teams of international observers, including police at designated locations on both sides.'' Training or practice firing in areas in the north and east ``should only take be undertaken with intimation to the other side and with the nominal presence of the international observers,'' he said. In the "final phase,'' Lt. Gen. Nambiar said, "the security zone around the Palaly airfield, the Kankesanthurai harbour and the Point Pedro Harbour could be reduced to local perimeter requirements as is normal for such vital defence installation.''
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