The Liberation Tigers said Wednesday it is the responsibility of the Norwegian facilitators and international community to ensure the Rajapakse regime adheres to the territorial demarcations, terms and conditions of the CFA and thereby creates a conducive atmosphere for talks.
Speaking to Tamilnet Wednesday evening, the head of the LTTE’s Political Wing, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan welcomed the Co-Chairs insistence Tuesday that the Sri Lankan government “must ensure its military abides by the Ceasefire Agreement and implements the pledges from the Geneva meeting in February 2006.”
“It is the Sri Lankan government which, launching major aggression against our controlled areas, has carried out breaches of the CFA of the utmost seriousness. It is therefore the primary responsibility of the [Mahinda] Rajapakse regime to create a conducive environment by respecting the lines of territorial demarcation underpinning the CFA so that the peace process can move forward,” Mr. Thamilchelvan said.
Mr. Thamilchelvan said the LTTE’s position had been unambiguously set out when the Tigers met with a Norwegian delegation led by Ambassador Hans Brattskar on September 6 in Kilinochchi.
There was no change in the LTTE policy since then, Mr. Thamilchelvan said, adding that it had been reiterated in his recent interview with Reuters on Tuesday.
Reaffirming the LTTE’s commitment to the peace process, Mr. Thamilchelvan said it was the responsibility of the Norwegian facilitators supported by the international community to ensure Colombo takes concrete steps towards the speedy creation of a conducive environment for talks.
And apart from forcibly occupying LTTE-controlled areas by military aggression, the Sri Lankan armed forces have also sharply escalated abductions, extra-judicial killings and other abuses against the Tamil people, Mr. Thamilchelvan pointed out.
Mr. Thamilchelvan hailed the international community’s recognition of the prevailing ground situation, particularly welcoming its condemnation of the Sri Lanka Air Force airstrike on Mullaitivu in August which killed 55 schoolgirls.
Meanwhile on Friday, the new head of the international ceasefire monitors in Sri Lanka, retired Norwegian Maj. Gen. Lars Johan Sølvberg, met with Mr. Thamilchelvan and Head of Tamil Eelam Police, Mr. P. Nades for an hour to discuss the prevailing security situation.
Mr. Thamilchelvan had said that the Sri Lankan government was on a war path and pointed out there was no clear position from Colombo on respecting the CFA.
"CFA must be respected one hundred percent and the safety and the security of the people must be respected," LTTE's Peace Secretariat quoted Thamilchelvan as saying to the SLMM chief.
