Responding to Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s speech last week at the United Nations where she accused the Liberation Tigers of not respecting the ceasefire agreement (CFA) and promised to implement a federal solution, the LTTE said this week it “is still ready for immediate talks on the implementation of the CFA, outside the island.”
“We see a lot of contradictions in the speeches of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, made abroad and in the south,” Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the LTTE, told TamilNet in an exclusive interview Friday.
“The fact is the Tamil people have lost faith in Kumaratunga’s statements, speeches and promises. It is high time the international community takes this into consideration,” he said.
Mr. Thamilchelvan emphasised that the LTTE was ready for immediate talks on the implementation of the CFA provided they are held in an international venue, rather than in the insecure south of Sri Lanka.
While it had become the accepted practice to conduct talks outside the island, Kumaratunge government’s sudden insistence on having talks in Sri Lanka was to conjure a new ploy that would help scuttle the talks, he observed.
“We consider Kumaratunga’s speech in New York a pack of chicaneries trying to hoodwink the international community. During her ten-year period of presidency Kumaratunga failed to implement anything to enhance the welfare of the Tamil people,” Mr. Thamilchelvan said.
“It is ludicrous for Kumaratunga who is at the tail-end of her presidency to pontificate now that she is committed to a federal system for the resolution of the Tamil national question,” he also said.
The LTTE’s Political chief pointed out that Kumaratunga tried desperately to prevent the then United National Front (UNF) government from holding talks with the LTTE on the proposal of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), which she vehemently criticized. At her earliest opportunity, she dismissed the UNF government, jeopardising the chance for the resumption of the peace talks centred on the ISGA proposals.
“She failed to take action using her executive power to solve the humanitarian problems of Tamil people when misery struck them. It was because of the international pressure that she signed the P-TOMS agreement with the LTTE. But she did not make any move to implement it.”
“She has now rushed to shift the blame for the non-implementation of the P-TOMS on to the Supreme Court and the Sinhala extreme nationalists. Hence we see no credibility in the speeches and statements made by her abroad. They ring hollow.”
“Even last year, when she went abroad, she spoke profusely in favour of a political solution based on federal concept, with a view to win the hearts of the international community. But once she returned to Sri Lanka, it became a forgotten tale,” he said.
Commenting on the reports that that Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, the head of Sri Lanka’s Peace Secretariat, had requested Ms Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State that the international community should exert pressure on the LTTE to come to the negotiating table, Mr Thamilchelvan said, “southern politicians and diplomats are used to giving a picture of deceit to the international community regarding the problems affecting the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lankan politicians and diplomats are now engaged in disrupting the good relations and understanding the LTTE has built up with several countries, he charged.
“We also consider the Sri Lankan government’s insistence on holding future peace talks in Sri Lanka and not abroad is with a view to sever the rapport the LTTE has built up with the international community,” Mr. Thamilchelvan added.
“The Sri Lankan government’s strategy is to marginalize the Tamil people and weakening the LTTE on one hand, while assuring the international community it is prepared to hold peace talks with the LTTE, on the other. Sri Lankan diplomats including Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala are now engaged in the implementation of this strategy of duplicity,” Mr. Thamilchelvan further said.
“If Sri Lanka is seriously committed to taking forward the peace process, it should have first agreed to hold talks on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in a neutral country, without breaking the status quo, for which the LTTE is always ready,” Mr. Thamilchelvan assured.
“We have categorically informed the Norwegian government that the talks on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement should be held in a neutral country. But due to the pressure of the Sri Lankan government, probably from the President herself, the Norwegian government proposed Sri Lanka,” replied Mr. Thamilchelvan to a question from the correspondent.
“The Norwegian government did not impose on us its decision on a venue in Sri Lanka. We have now received news that Norwegian government is considering our proposal regarding venue for talks,” Mr. Thamilchelvan added.
“We have also pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators that the contradictory statements and speeches by President Kumaratunga who is on the verge of leaving her post are causing serious impediment to the peace process. We are sure the Norwegian authorities are quite aware of the development.”
“We see a lot of contradictions in the speeches of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, made abroad and in the south,” Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the LTTE, told TamilNet in an exclusive interview Friday.
“The fact is the Tamil people have lost faith in Kumaratunga’s statements, speeches and promises. It is high time the international community takes this into consideration,” he said.
Mr. Thamilchelvan emphasised that the LTTE was ready for immediate talks on the implementation of the CFA provided they are held in an international venue, rather than in the insecure south of Sri Lanka.
While it had become the accepted practice to conduct talks outside the island, Kumaratunge government’s sudden insistence on having talks in Sri Lanka was to conjure a new ploy that would help scuttle the talks, he observed.
“We consider Kumaratunga’s speech in New York a pack of chicaneries trying to hoodwink the international community. During her ten-year period of presidency Kumaratunga failed to implement anything to enhance the welfare of the Tamil people,” Mr. Thamilchelvan said.
“It is ludicrous for Kumaratunga who is at the tail-end of her presidency to pontificate now that she is committed to a federal system for the resolution of the Tamil national question,” he also said.
The LTTE’s Political chief pointed out that Kumaratunga tried desperately to prevent the then United National Front (UNF) government from holding talks with the LTTE on the proposal of Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), which she vehemently criticized. At her earliest opportunity, she dismissed the UNF government, jeopardising the chance for the resumption of the peace talks centred on the ISGA proposals.
“She failed to take action using her executive power to solve the humanitarian problems of Tamil people when misery struck them. It was because of the international pressure that she signed the P-TOMS agreement with the LTTE. But she did not make any move to implement it.”
“She has now rushed to shift the blame for the non-implementation of the P-TOMS on to the Supreme Court and the Sinhala extreme nationalists. Hence we see no credibility in the speeches and statements made by her abroad. They ring hollow.”
“Even last year, when she went abroad, she spoke profusely in favour of a political solution based on federal concept, with a view to win the hearts of the international community. But once she returned to Sri Lanka, it became a forgotten tale,” he said.
Commenting on the reports that that Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, the head of Sri Lanka’s Peace Secretariat, had requested Ms Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State that the international community should exert pressure on the LTTE to come to the negotiating table, Mr Thamilchelvan said, “southern politicians and diplomats are used to giving a picture of deceit to the international community regarding the problems affecting the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lankan politicians and diplomats are now engaged in disrupting the good relations and understanding the LTTE has built up with several countries, he charged.
“We also consider the Sri Lankan government’s insistence on holding future peace talks in Sri Lanka and not abroad is with a view to sever the rapport the LTTE has built up with the international community,” Mr. Thamilchelvan added.
“The Sri Lankan government’s strategy is to marginalize the Tamil people and weakening the LTTE on one hand, while assuring the international community it is prepared to hold peace talks with the LTTE, on the other. Sri Lankan diplomats including Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala are now engaged in the implementation of this strategy of duplicity,” Mr. Thamilchelvan further said.
“If Sri Lanka is seriously committed to taking forward the peace process, it should have first agreed to hold talks on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in a neutral country, without breaking the status quo, for which the LTTE is always ready,” Mr. Thamilchelvan assured.
“We have categorically informed the Norwegian government that the talks on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement should be held in a neutral country. But due to the pressure of the Sri Lankan government, probably from the President herself, the Norwegian government proposed Sri Lanka,” replied Mr. Thamilchelvan to a question from the correspondent.
“The Norwegian government did not impose on us its decision on a venue in Sri Lanka. We have now received news that Norwegian government is considering our proposal regarding venue for talks,” Mr. Thamilchelvan added.
“We have also pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators that the contradictory statements and speeches by President Kumaratunga who is on the verge of leaving her post are causing serious impediment to the peace process. We are sure the Norwegian authorities are quite aware of the development.”
