Pitfalls of peace talks

From euphoria to cautious optimism and grave concern will be the range of reactions of different sections of the Sri Lankan community to the announcement that negotiations between the Sri Lanka government and the LTTE with the Norwegian government as facilitators will be held around mid-September. Little is known whether an agenda has been decided on, if so what the agenda would be or whether there is no agenda at the time of writing.

The immediate public concern will be whether the government will deproscribe the LTTE as a terrorist organisation before talks commence. In response to the demands of the LTTE for deproscription, the government has said that it will be conceded once the date for negotiations are fixed. If this happens, the LTTE will commence cawing from the very beginning that they had won the initial eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation. Many Sri Lankan organisations, national leaders and The Island strongly opposed lifting the ban placed on the terrorist organisation for the simple reason that there were no indications that the LTTE had ceased its terrorist activities. Even after the Ceasefire, there have been frequent reports of killings, abductions, torture and extortion in areas that were under the LTTE and those under the government in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. This reign of terror continues.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and his government, it appears, are committed to deproscription but this is likely to come under heavy fire from the Opposition and Sinhalese organisations. This will also be a litmus test of President Kumaratunga’s claim of her support for the peace process.

Proscription of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation after the bombing of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth and the subsequent campaign led by the PA government under Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar are said to be the main reasons for the Western nations to proscribe it. The consequences of the categorisation as a terrorist organisation, the anti-terrorist mood in the west in addition to international law that came into force, such as UN Security Council resolutions on terrorism, are attributed to the LTTE’s volte face from raw terrorism to peace negotiations. Thus, the question is asked whether deproscription in Sri Lanka will lead to a domino effect in the West. Western nations, however, have been quite explicit in their statements that it would not be the case and quite recently the United States reimposed its ban on the LTTE. Nonetheless, LTTE propagandists are likely to begin beating their drums: If the Sri Lanka lifts the ban, why are those far away in the west so concerned?

The Sri Lankan government is bound to defend deproscription by saying that if the LTTE steps out of line, it would only need a gazette proclamation by the Minister of Defence to reimpose the ban.

Apparently, the government does appear to be concerned with the continued terror tactics of the LTTE. It is reported that in the talks Minister Milinda Moragoda had with LTTE representative Anton Balasingham, the issues included: Use of child soldiers, ceasefire violations, resettlement of refugees and imposition of ‘taxes’ by the LTTE. No indications should be given that the government is willing soft pedal on LTTE atrocities for the sake of peace.

The prospects of a permanent peace brings about a euphoria that results in hard realities being ignored. It has happened twice before. The government should not be blackmailed by threats of the terrorists of a walk out if their demands are not conceded. While Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe has risked his political fortunes in going ahead with the peace process, he should not hesitate to state what the government’s objectives are. Like in the last peace talks, the subjects should not only be confined only to ‘alleviating the living conditions of the people of the North and East’, but also on resolving the substantial problems of the North-East conflict. For this, drawing up an agenda for the talks is a sine qua non. Otherwise there will not even be ‘talks about talks’, but talks about nothing. Prime Minister Wickremasinghe’s objectives are to give substantial devolution of power to the people of the North and East, but not a separate state. This should be made quite clear.

The current objective of the LTTE is to set up a separate state through an interim council where the LTTE will be the sole representatives of the Tamil people. Will the government surrender to such demands forsaking democratic and human rights of theTamil, Sinhalese and Muslim people in the North and East? Will the international community go along with this for the sake of ‘peace’.

Over 60,000 people have died in this conflict and thousands more maimed for various beliefs. But whose objective has it been to have a ‘peace’ under a regime of fascist terror?

That should be a basic theme in the proposed talks.

At this point of time in our quest for peace - however unpalatable it may be - it is good to remember the saying: The best way to ensure peace is to prepare for war.

Sri Lanka has learnt many such lessons in recent times.

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