The main international players supporting Sri Lanka’s peace process have warned that the Norwegian initiative faces “its most serious challenge” since the February 2002 cease-fire brought a halt to fighting between the government and the Liberation Tigers.
The warning was issued in a joint statement from the European Union, Japan, the United States, Britain and Norway - the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference of June 2003 that financially underwrote the peace process – who met Monday in New York.
The Co-Chairs rapped both the LTTE and the Sri Lanka government by implication for the serious situation and urged both parties to “engage constructively” with a Norwegian special representative, Major General Furuhovde, scheduled to visit the island in October “to find practical ways of improving implementation” of the truce.
Talks are deadlocked amid disagreements over the venue. Sri Lanka wants talks within territory controlled by its military, but the LTTE, citing security concerns, wants talks in a neutral foreign location. The Co-Chairs said they were disappointed with the LTTE did not agree to a Norwegian proposal to hold talks at Colombo airport.
While the Co-Chairs stopped short of directly accusing the Tigers of killing of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar last month, it strongly hinted that the LTTE was responsible in the view of the Co-Chairs.
The assassination was branded an “unconscionable act of terrorism” that casts “profound doubts on the commitment of those responsible to a peaceful and political resolution of the conflict.”
The Co-Chairs demanded that the LTTE take “immediate public steps to demonstrate their commitment to the peace process and their willingness to change.” They also called for “an immediate end to political assassinations by the LTTE and an end to LTTE recruitment of child soldiers” as “two such steps.”
The Sri Lanka government was criticised for not disarming paramilitaries said to be operating with the support of the armed force. However, Colombo was commended for its “restraint” following Kadirgamar’s assassination of.
The Co-Chairs said they “deplore the activities of paramilitary groups, which fuel the cycle of violence and unrest and … underscore the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government under the Ceasefire Agreement to disarm or relocate these groups from the north and east.”
The LTTE says the Sri Lankan military is backing five Tamil paramilitary groups, including one led by a renegade LTTE commander, Karuna, in a ‘shadow war’ against its cadres and supporters.
Colombo denies the charge, but international ceasefire monitors have recently met paramilitary leaders in Army-controlled areas.
“The Ceasefire Agreement remains the essential anchor of the peace process and is put at grave risk by the continuing violence. Effective implementation of the agreement is the responsibility of the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE,” the Co-Chairs said.
The statement, one of the most comprehensive issued in recent times, said that Sri Lanka’s forthcoming presidential election would naturally promote vigorous debate on the best way to advance the peace process and in this context called on all parties to refrain from violence and from making statements that could undermine the peace process.
The Co-Chairs reiterated that “a peaceful resolution of the conflict can only be achieved through a negotiated political settlement that follows the principles agreed in Oslo in December 2002 to explore a solution based on a federal model within a united Sri Lanka, and which ensures democracy and full respect for human rights and the legitimate rights of all ethnic groups.”
The favourite of the two-candidate Presidential race, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), has entered into electoral alliances with two ultra-nationalist Sinhala parties, committing himself to a unitary state and rejecting autonomy, including federalism as a solution.
The Co-Chairs’ meeting Monday was hosted by Mr. Vidar Helegesen, State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attended by EU Commissioner Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Special Representative, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Mr. Yasushi Akashi, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Mrs. Christina Rocca, and Mr. Tom Philips, Director South Asia and Afghanistan with Britain’s Foreign Office.
The warning was issued in a joint statement from the European Union, Japan, the United States, Britain and Norway - the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference of June 2003 that financially underwrote the peace process – who met Monday in New York.
The Co-Chairs rapped both the LTTE and the Sri Lanka government by implication for the serious situation and urged both parties to “engage constructively” with a Norwegian special representative, Major General Furuhovde, scheduled to visit the island in October “to find practical ways of improving implementation” of the truce.
Talks are deadlocked amid disagreements over the venue. Sri Lanka wants talks within territory controlled by its military, but the LTTE, citing security concerns, wants talks in a neutral foreign location. The Co-Chairs said they were disappointed with the LTTE did not agree to a Norwegian proposal to hold talks at Colombo airport.
While the Co-Chairs stopped short of directly accusing the Tigers of killing of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar last month, it strongly hinted that the LTTE was responsible in the view of the Co-Chairs.
The assassination was branded an “unconscionable act of terrorism” that casts “profound doubts on the commitment of those responsible to a peaceful and political resolution of the conflict.”
The Co-Chairs demanded that the LTTE take “immediate public steps to demonstrate their commitment to the peace process and their willingness to change.” They also called for “an immediate end to political assassinations by the LTTE and an end to LTTE recruitment of child soldiers” as “two such steps.”
The Sri Lanka government was criticised for not disarming paramilitaries said to be operating with the support of the armed force. However, Colombo was commended for its “restraint” following Kadirgamar’s assassination of.
The Co-Chairs said they “deplore the activities of paramilitary groups, which fuel the cycle of violence and unrest and … underscore the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government under the Ceasefire Agreement to disarm or relocate these groups from the north and east.”
The LTTE says the Sri Lankan military is backing five Tamil paramilitary groups, including one led by a renegade LTTE commander, Karuna, in a ‘shadow war’ against its cadres and supporters.
Colombo denies the charge, but international ceasefire monitors have recently met paramilitary leaders in Army-controlled areas.
“The Ceasefire Agreement remains the essential anchor of the peace process and is put at grave risk by the continuing violence. Effective implementation of the agreement is the responsibility of the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE,” the Co-Chairs said.
The statement, one of the most comprehensive issued in recent times, said that Sri Lanka’s forthcoming presidential election would naturally promote vigorous debate on the best way to advance the peace process and in this context called on all parties to refrain from violence and from making statements that could undermine the peace process.
The Co-Chairs reiterated that “a peaceful resolution of the conflict can only be achieved through a negotiated political settlement that follows the principles agreed in Oslo in December 2002 to explore a solution based on a federal model within a united Sri Lanka, and which ensures democracy and full respect for human rights and the legitimate rights of all ethnic groups.”
The favourite of the two-candidate Presidential race, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), has entered into electoral alliances with two ultra-nationalist Sinhala parties, committing himself to a unitary state and rejecting autonomy, including federalism as a solution.
The Co-Chairs’ meeting Monday was hosted by Mr. Vidar Helegesen, State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attended by EU Commissioner Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Special Representative, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Mr. Yasushi Akashi, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Mrs. Christina Rocca, and Mr. Tom Philips, Director South Asia and Afghanistan with Britain’s Foreign Office.
