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Encouraging action by West

The concerted and purposeful action being launched by the US and Great Britain to cripple the LTTE's overseas funding operations is encouraging news for a world which has been forced to face the full horrors of global terrorism. Galvanized into urgent action by the September 11th terror strikes in the US, which have proved to be the most demonic and devastating so far, the US and Great Britain are now set to initiate a series of stringent measures to disrupt worldwide funding operations of many a blacklisted terror group, including the LTTE.

Our front page lead story said yesterday that the Financial Action Task Force of Great Britain, described as the monitoring and implementing body of the contemplated new stringent measures against terrorist funding, had called on "all countries in the world to adopt and implement them". With the adoption of these measures by States, it is expected that terrorists and their supporters would be denied access to the international financial system.

It was only last week that President Kumaratunga, during her visit to Great Britain, had requested top British officials to act stringently against LTTE funding operations in that country. She had also stressed the importance of a "Commonwealth Coalition Against Terrorism", in her talks with Commonwealth officials.

Sri Lanka in particular, therefore, could be happy over the Western decision to concertedly and stringently tighten the screws on terrorist funding operations worldwide.

These operations are the jugular which keeps the terror machine going and united and cooperative action by the peace-loving sections of the world community is one effective answer to the dangerous scourge of global terror. Lankans are also likely to be particularly glad that Great Britain is losing no time in cracking down on fund-raising by terror groups and their front organisations which had made Britain their home over the years.

We believe it is in order to point out that the necessary international connections aimed at curbing terror funding and related activities are already in place and that States are obliged to abide by these agreements in both word and spirit, for the purpose of eradicating terrorism. On this issue, there could be no quibbling.

It is equally relevant to indicate that although united international action on terrorism , could play a considerable role in curbing the scourge, the primary players in the elimination of LTTE terror are Lankans themselves. Unless and until a negotiated political solution, envisaging power sharing, is worked out among the key local parties to the ethnic conflict, the fundamental causes leading to the ethnic problem could never be eliminated. This is the stark truth.

It behoves the Lankan Government and other relevant actors to, therefore, seek a negotiated solution to the conflict, while cooperating with and encouraging international efforts to end the crisis here. It is our hope that the question of finding a solution to the conflict would be made a key polls campaign issue in Sri Lanka.

• Editorial of  The Observer - 7.11.2001:Desperation in Afghanistan

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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