By Namini Wijedasa

Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission chief Trond Furuhovde yesterday flew by helicopter to Tiger headquarters in Kilinochchi, a day after the deadline he gave the government and LTTE to solve a dispute over A9 public transport lapsed without resolution.

The SLMM last month ruled that the LTTE had violated the Memorandum of Understanding by refusing to permit direct public transport on the highway. Furuhovde, whose mission has no enforcing power, gave the two sides thirty days to arrive at a consensus.

The deadline lapsed on Wednesday with neither side shifting their positions. There was no apparent sign of the LTTE changing its stance: it maintains that private and government-owned buses may only transport commuters up to Omanthai after which passengers would have to board buses run by the Tamil Eelam Transport Service.

On the government side, Defence Minister Tilak Marapana told a press conference on Wednesday that the United National Front was not agreeable to such an arrangement.

The ceasefire deal says that "the parties shall open the Kandy-Jaffna road to non-military traffic of goods and passengers." Although civilian transport now moves on the A9, there is no direct paid public transport system. The LTTE also levies "taxes" on various goods at its Omanthai and Muhamalai checkpoints — action which government authorities define as "plain extortion".

Furuhovde earlier admitted to Reuters news agency that "the deadline will not be met as the issue remains unresolved." He also said he planned to hold talks with the two sides and his latest visit is seen as a move in this direction.

Meanwhile, a government official closely connected with the government peace team told ‘The Island’ that Norwegian Ambassador Jon Westborg was "working hard" to bring about a resolution.

It was not immediately clear what action would — or could — be taken if the LTTE persisted in violating the truce. "As SLMM, by choice, has no enforcement powers the only alternative in case of MoU violations is that government law enforcement agencies or military take action," the official explained. "But although this is possible when there are violations of a military nature, it is not so in violations of a more political character such as the A9 issue."

Even in the "taxing" of road users, the government could not take practical action. Neither could the SLMM force the LTTE to stop.

Pointing out instances where government authorities took action when military violations occurred, a Batticaloa-based police official said that the navy and police had both moved in when LTTE boats were detected in the seas, once off Trincomalee and again off Vakarai. In the Trincomalee incident, police detained cadres and boats till the SLMM intervened to diffuse the situation. Both police and navy were within the terms of the ceasefire deal.

The military and police have also been active in monitoring and halting movement of armed LTTE cadres into government-controlled areas, harassment of civilians, extortion, etc.

"But, in practical terms, government law enforcement bodies can’t go into LTTE-controlled areas and assert their authority there," he elaborated. "This seems to be a grey area in the agreement." Hence, diplomacy was the only method and consensus the only option.

Government insiders said the UNF was hopeful that mere threat of the ceasefire deal breaking would be sufficient to push the government and LTTE into consensus where violations of political nature are concerned. "We feel that both sides see the importance of continuing the ceasefire and starting talks," he said. "They know, particularly the LTTE, that it would not be wise to drop the truce and recommence hostilities."

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has already urged his cabinet of ministers as well as the military and police to exercise caution. He has stressed that the ceasefire must continue until substantial talks begin in Thailand.