Commitment to peace

All right thinking persons will laud the Government for reiterating to the international community that the Government is committed to a political solution. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told diplomats yesterday that the Government would present political proposals without delay.

This reassurance is significant because fears have been expressed in certain quarters that the Government is gearing up for a totally military solution in the aftermath of its decision to withdraw from the ceasefire.

However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and senior Government figures have always stressed that the Government only intended to weaken the LTTE militarily in order to bring it to the negotiating table.

The reports on the demise of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) are greatly exaggerated. It is now in its final stage of drafting proposals and hopefully, it will present political proposals acceptable to all.

The onus is on Southern political parties to present a package that the LTTE cannot shy away from.

The proposals should also seek to drive the Tamil civilians in uncleared areas further away from the LTTE, which is already deeply unpopular for forcibly recruiting at least one member of each family to its depleting ranks.

The Government has rightly stressed that the doors would always be open for talks, even without a ceasefire. All Governments, including the present one, have been committed for peace talks but it is the LTTE that shunned and sabotaged them for no apparent reason.

This in itself reflected the LTTE’s predilection for war. A peaceful resolution to the conflict seems to be anathema to the Tigers, who need a conflict to thrive and subjugate the general population in the areas they dominate.

It would thus be wrong to think that the Government has closed all doors to peace. As Minister Bogollagama pointed out, the abrogation of the CFA does not mean that the facilitation extended by the Norwegian Government to the Sri Lankan Government also ends.

The Government should continue this healthy dialogue with Norway, the Co-Chairs and especially India, which very recently reiterated its commitment to Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The international community’s support will be vital as Sri Lanka searches for peace. This does not mean that other countries should be given a carte blanche right to interfere in its affairs, via concepts such as R2P (Responsibility to Protect) and a call to open a UN rights monitoring mission.

Indeed, the international community has a duty to help Sri Lanka to wipe out terrorism. Several countries have already taken steps in this regard. We reported yesterday that a top LTTE operative in the US, charged with attempting to procure arms for the LTTE, has been sentenced to jail. France too took similar action some time back.

This is the type of concrete support that Sri lanka expects from her global friends in the drive to eliminate terrorism.

Terrorism is not confined to one country or region. All of today’s high-profile terrorist groups have wide international networks. The LTTE is no exception. It runs fund raising and arms procurement activities in many countries.

It circumvents proscriptions by operating through front organisations which seemingly have no connection with the LTTE. One of the most effective ways of curbing terrorist activities is cutting off their funding. Several countries have taken steps in this direction.

Given the geographic proximity, India’s stern actions against terrorism will be beneficial to Sri Lanka. In this context, the Indian Government must take seriously recent reports that the LTTE is trying to establish base in Tamil Nadu again.

This will be a major threat to Tamil Nadu. It is heartening to note that prominent Indian politicians have cautioned the Central Government on these devious designs of the LTTE.

The LTTE, which is spreading its tentacles far and wide, has not given any indication that it was ready for talks. Hence its brazen attitude vis-a-vis the Ceasefire which was no bar for it to launch attacks not only on the Security Forces but also on non-combatants.

The Government, on the other hand, waited patiently for a number of years before launching any military action despite the grave provocations of the LTTE. It will thus be a major victory for the Government and the Forces if the military victories take Sri Lanka towards an environment which fosters peace, unity and prosperity.