Sri Lanka’s hardline government this week dismissed international calls for it to seek a peace process with the Tamil Tigers and as senior government ministers criticized international pressure, the military stepped up military operations against the LTTE.
In the wake of a meeting last week of the United States, European Union, Japan and Norway, the four donors backing the now drifting Oslo-led peace process, Sri Lankan and Indian media reported that President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government had asked Norway to help resume direct talks with the Tigers.
Norway also reiterated its readiness to facilitate. Oslo’s special envoy for Sri Lanka, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, telling Reuters: “We are ready to resume (mediation efforts) if the government wants us to. We are committed to our role as facilitator and we are ready to carry out that role as soon as the parties want us to do that.”
But this week the Colombo government quashed the reports, saying there was no change in its stance and that it would not halt military operations and allow the LTTE, which it described as weakened, to regroup and rearm.
And the Norwegian embassy in Colombo also came out to deny rumours Oslo was about to resume facilitation.
"There is no such visit [to LTTE headquarters] planned for the near future, all these stories are speculation," Embassy spokesperson Erik Nurenberg told The Morning Leader.
The paper, quoting European diplomatic sources, reported Wednesday that the Norwegians however, also have no immediate plans to request the government for security clearance to visit Kilinochchi. They said that a visit by Hanssen-Bauer could take place some time later if both sides show a willingness to accommodate.
Sri Lanka’s Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the weekly defence briefing at the Media Centre for National Security that is no need to make a fresh initiative as the peace process stands as it is.
There is no shift in the government policy as far as the peace process is concerned and the government will not allow the Tigers make use of the Peace Process to re-arm and re-group and attack civilians and security forces, he said.
Government ministers also attacked the international community’s pressure.
Minister Rambukwella singled out the UK and the US, saying these countries are trying to show the world that they are superior democracies, but actually they don’t practice what they preach.
“They are talking about human rights violations here but ignoring what the LTTE has been doing for the last three decades, brutally massacring thousands of civilians and security forces personnel.”
Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle rejected the US government’s call for the Army-backed paramilitary outfit, the Karuna Group, must be disarmed.
“Richard Boucher (Asst. Secretary of State for South Asia and the Middle East) has said the Sri Lankan government must disarm the Karuna Faction. Why haven’t they asked to disarm the LTTE? Both are terrorists groups,” he asked.
Meanwhile the Sri Lankan government bar on visits by international diplomats, including Peace Envoys, to LTTE areas continues.
Two prior visits planned by Norwegian ambassador Hans Brattskar were cancelled due to the absence of security guarantees from the government. A similar visit by the deputy British High Commissioner too was cancelled for the same reason.
Despite the government’s reluctance to give security clearance, the Tigers have said that they could guarantee the safety of visiting diplomats from beyond Omanthai. "We can look after them, there is no issue," Tiger military spokesperson Rasiah Illanthirayan said.
The absence of international shuttle diplomacy alone indicates a resumption of the peace process is not likely.
This week Minister Rambukwella told reporters: “If people like Jon- Hansen Bauer want to move to Kilinochchchi to meet the Tigers, we have to caution them that they can’t do it the way they did it in the past.”
Measnwhile Sri Lanka Air Force jets on Wednesday carried out a second straight day of bombing raids against LTTE positions in jungles in the east of the island, the military said.
The raids were part of a months-old effort aimed at dislodging the Tigers from bases in Thoppigala, an area around the eastern lagoon town of Batticaloa.
Taking and retaining Thoppigala will be costly, both in men and material, the Hindustan Times this week quoted independent military experts as saying.
But since the Sri Lankan government is hell bent on militarily defeating the LTTE, it would go ahead regardless of the cost, they added.
LTTE spokesman Ilanthirayan told Tamilnet recently that the Sri Lankan Army was walking into a "trap" as the LTTE's withdrawals were "strategic" in nature.
He admitted that the Sri Lanka Army had entered the Thoppigala area, but maintained that only the future would be able to say if the government's assertions were well founded.
As regards the LTTE's plans he said: "At the moment we can only say that we are recasting our plans for the East."
In the wake of a meeting last week of the United States, European Union, Japan and Norway, the four donors backing the now drifting Oslo-led peace process, Sri Lankan and Indian media reported that President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government had asked Norway to help resume direct talks with the Tigers.
Norway also reiterated its readiness to facilitate. Oslo’s special envoy for Sri Lanka, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, telling Reuters: “We are ready to resume (mediation efforts) if the government wants us to. We are committed to our role as facilitator and we are ready to carry out that role as soon as the parties want us to do that.”
But this week the Colombo government quashed the reports, saying there was no change in its stance and that it would not halt military operations and allow the LTTE, which it described as weakened, to regroup and rearm.
And the Norwegian embassy in Colombo also came out to deny rumours Oslo was about to resume facilitation.
"There is no such visit [to LTTE headquarters] planned for the near future, all these stories are speculation," Embassy spokesperson Erik Nurenberg told The Morning Leader.
The paper, quoting European diplomatic sources, reported Wednesday that the Norwegians however, also have no immediate plans to request the government for security clearance to visit Kilinochchi. They said that a visit by Hanssen-Bauer could take place some time later if both sides show a willingness to accommodate.
Sri Lanka’s Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the weekly defence briefing at the Media Centre for National Security that is no need to make a fresh initiative as the peace process stands as it is.
There is no shift in the government policy as far as the peace process is concerned and the government will not allow the Tigers make use of the Peace Process to re-arm and re-group and attack civilians and security forces, he said.
Government ministers also attacked the international community’s pressure.
Minister Rambukwella singled out the UK and the US, saying these countries are trying to show the world that they are superior democracies, but actually they don’t practice what they preach.
“They are talking about human rights violations here but ignoring what the LTTE has been doing for the last three decades, brutally massacring thousands of civilians and security forces personnel.”
Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle rejected the US government’s call for the Army-backed paramilitary outfit, the Karuna Group, must be disarmed.
“Richard Boucher (Asst. Secretary of State for South Asia and the Middle East) has said the Sri Lankan government must disarm the Karuna Faction. Why haven’t they asked to disarm the LTTE? Both are terrorists groups,” he asked.
Meanwhile the Sri Lankan government bar on visits by international diplomats, including Peace Envoys, to LTTE areas continues.
Two prior visits planned by Norwegian ambassador Hans Brattskar were cancelled due to the absence of security guarantees from the government. A similar visit by the deputy British High Commissioner too was cancelled for the same reason.
Despite the government’s reluctance to give security clearance, the Tigers have said that they could guarantee the safety of visiting diplomats from beyond Omanthai. "We can look after them, there is no issue," Tiger military spokesperson Rasiah Illanthirayan said.
The absence of international shuttle diplomacy alone indicates a resumption of the peace process is not likely.
This week Minister Rambukwella told reporters: “If people like Jon- Hansen Bauer want to move to Kilinochchchi to meet the Tigers, we have to caution them that they can’t do it the way they did it in the past.”
Measnwhile Sri Lanka Air Force jets on Wednesday carried out a second straight day of bombing raids against LTTE positions in jungles in the east of the island, the military said.
The raids were part of a months-old effort aimed at dislodging the Tigers from bases in Thoppigala, an area around the eastern lagoon town of Batticaloa.
Taking and retaining Thoppigala will be costly, both in men and material, the Hindustan Times this week quoted independent military experts as saying.
But since the Sri Lankan government is hell bent on militarily defeating the LTTE, it would go ahead regardless of the cost, they added.
LTTE spokesman Ilanthirayan told Tamilnet recently that the Sri Lankan Army was walking into a "trap" as the LTTE's withdrawals were "strategic" in nature.
He admitted that the Sri Lanka Army had entered the Thoppigala area, but maintained that only the future would be able to say if the government's assertions were well founded.
As regards the LTTE's plans he said: "At the moment we can only say that we are recasting our plans for the East."
