Ramping up earlier harsh criticism of the Liberation Tigers by the United States’ Ambassador to Sri Lanka last week, visiting US Undersecretary Of State For Political Affairs Nicholas Burns condemned the LTTE as a “reprehensible terrorist group” and heaped invectives on it.
At the same time, Mr. Burns endorsed the Sinhala-dominated Sri Lankan government saying: “We are a great friend to this country. We support its territorial integrity. We support the preservation of peace.”
Later, he reiterated his statement: “We''re a friend of this country. We respect its territorial integrity and want to see it preserved.”
“And the people of this country ought not to have to live for another 15 or 20 years with this reprehensible terrorist group keeping this country verged on the edge of war,” he said of the LTTE.
“We call upon the LTTE, especially, to cease and desist from the violence and terrorism that it has afflicted upon the people of this country,” he said.
He repeatedly condemned the LTTE, saying its “attacks over many, many years upon the political leadership and the average citizens of this country, are reprehensible and they are condemned by the international community.”
“This is an organization bent on provoking violence, as it commits violence, as it kills innocent people,” he said.
“And we hope that the LTTE will understand that it will have no relationship with my government and, indeed, no effective relationship with any country in this world as long as it seeks to redress its own grievances through the barrel of a gun,” he said.
“Now, we understand the Tamil community here has legitimate grievances, and legitimate issues that ought to be addressed by the government. And there out to be a dialogue, a better dialogue, between the government and the Tamil community,” he said, implicitly calling on the Tamils to reject the LTTE as their leaders.
Asked if he had raised Tamil civilians’ complaints about military violence with the government, Mr. Burns said: “In fact, we raised that with the President, and the Foreign Minister, and the other officials with whom we met.”
“We said for sure that the activities of the paramilitary organizations also ought to be condemned and they ought to be stopped. And if there are allegations of military abuse of Tamil civilians, they ought to be investigated. If there are people found responsible, of course they ought to be dealt with in the justice system here.”
“I must say,” Mr. Burns said, “that the response we received from the government is that the government leaders also believe that those attacks must stop, and they must not be carried out in the future.”
Asked what contribution the US could make to peace in Sri Lanka, Mr. Burns said: “If there''s any weight that America can bring it is to try to convince the LTTE to come in and negotiate, and to try to give advice to our friends in the government that they ought to find a way not to respond to the obvious provocations of the last several weeks.”
“At the same time, we are trying to show our support for the government by providing military assistance and training for its officers, military exercises between our troops and the government''s troops, so that the government can be strong and the government''s forces can deter future attacks against the people of this country.”
“We work very closely with the government and we''re proud of what the United States has been able to do as a friend to Sri Lanka,” he said further.
He pointed to the deployment of 1,500 US marines in southern and eastern Sri Lanka in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami – the US did not assist people – overwhelmingly Tamils – in the LTTE-held areas.
“We are also, in the longer term, very hopeful in 2006 we might reach an agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka - to provide a considerable amount of economic assistance, so that reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country can continue, especially those areas that have been so badly affected by the tsunami,” Mr. Burns said.
“We hope a final peace can come to Sri Lanka. The United States wants that very much, and we''ll support the government in its effort to protect this country, and its territorial integrity as these negotiations resume,” he said.
Conscious of the intense criticism by many Tamils of US Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead for his singling out of the LTTE for criticism earlier last month, Mr. Burns praised him also: “we''re very proud of the efforts of the American Embassy here, of Ambassador Lunstead, who has done such a wonderful job to represent the United States.”
At the same time, Mr. Burns endorsed the Sinhala-dominated Sri Lankan government saying: “We are a great friend to this country. We support its territorial integrity. We support the preservation of peace.”
Later, he reiterated his statement: “We''re a friend of this country. We respect its territorial integrity and want to see it preserved.”
“And the people of this country ought not to have to live for another 15 or 20 years with this reprehensible terrorist group keeping this country verged on the edge of war,” he said of the LTTE.
“We call upon the LTTE, especially, to cease and desist from the violence and terrorism that it has afflicted upon the people of this country,” he said.
He repeatedly condemned the LTTE, saying its “attacks over many, many years upon the political leadership and the average citizens of this country, are reprehensible and they are condemned by the international community.”
“This is an organization bent on provoking violence, as it commits violence, as it kills innocent people,” he said.
“And we hope that the LTTE will understand that it will have no relationship with my government and, indeed, no effective relationship with any country in this world as long as it seeks to redress its own grievances through the barrel of a gun,” he said.
“Now, we understand the Tamil community here has legitimate grievances, and legitimate issues that ought to be addressed by the government. And there out to be a dialogue, a better dialogue, between the government and the Tamil community,” he said, implicitly calling on the Tamils to reject the LTTE as their leaders.
Asked if he had raised Tamil civilians’ complaints about military violence with the government, Mr. Burns said: “In fact, we raised that with the President, and the Foreign Minister, and the other officials with whom we met.”
“We said for sure that the activities of the paramilitary organizations also ought to be condemned and they ought to be stopped. And if there are allegations of military abuse of Tamil civilians, they ought to be investigated. If there are people found responsible, of course they ought to be dealt with in the justice system here.”
“I must say,” Mr. Burns said, “that the response we received from the government is that the government leaders also believe that those attacks must stop, and they must not be carried out in the future.”
Asked what contribution the US could make to peace in Sri Lanka, Mr. Burns said: “If there''s any weight that America can bring it is to try to convince the LTTE to come in and negotiate, and to try to give advice to our friends in the government that they ought to find a way not to respond to the obvious provocations of the last several weeks.”
“At the same time, we are trying to show our support for the government by providing military assistance and training for its officers, military exercises between our troops and the government''s troops, so that the government can be strong and the government''s forces can deter future attacks against the people of this country.”
“We work very closely with the government and we''re proud of what the United States has been able to do as a friend to Sri Lanka,” he said further.
He pointed to the deployment of 1,500 US marines in southern and eastern Sri Lanka in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami – the US did not assist people – overwhelmingly Tamils – in the LTTE-held areas.
“We are also, in the longer term, very hopeful in 2006 we might reach an agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka - to provide a considerable amount of economic assistance, so that reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country can continue, especially those areas that have been so badly affected by the tsunami,” Mr. Burns said.
“We hope a final peace can come to Sri Lanka. The United States wants that very much, and we''ll support the government in its effort to protect this country, and its territorial integrity as these negotiations resume,” he said.
Conscious of the intense criticism by many Tamils of US Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead for his singling out of the LTTE for criticism earlier last month, Mr. Burns praised him also: “we''re very proud of the efforts of the American Embassy here, of Ambassador Lunstead, who has done such a wonderful job to represent the United States.”
