The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) this week urged the international community to abandon its support for the Sri Lankan government’s new war and to play a constructive role towards peace.
In an interview Sunday, the head of the LTTE’s Political Wing, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, said the decision to ban the Tigers in various countries and actions which restricted the political work of the Tigers, were being interpreted by Colombo as endorsing its militarist approach.
Mr. Thamilchelvan warned it was a fallacy to think that by weakening the LTTE, the movement could be coerced into compromising on Tamil political goals.
The Sinhala polity was today working on unacceptable solutions that were rejected by the Tamils 30 years ago, he said, implying that the Sinhala leadership had to want a just peace also.
"The Sinhala leadership ought to develop a profound understanding of the aspirations and the demands of the Tamil people," Mr. Thamilchelvan said and questioned whether a conducive environment for a such change is promoted when international players were supporting Colombo’s war.
"The international community through the involvement in the peace process during the last five years clearly knows that the Sri Lankan Government has never been ready to provide a reasonable solution to the Tamil people."
A balance of power and parity of status between the negotiating parties - the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka - are key for successful negotiations to find a sustainable solution to the conflict.
"It is fallacy to think that by weakening the LTTE, the movement can be forced to compromise on its political stand," Thamilchelvan told TamilNet.
"I think the international community, by realizing this and by recognizing the Tamil people's struggle for their rights and by coming forward to support that struggle, can create a situation conducive for negotiations."
