A senior Sri Lankan diplomat yesterday rejected the notion in some quarters that, for the government, the losses of Geneva had far outweighed the gains.

"It is true that the LTTE bargained on claymores and there was no other way out for the government," he said. "However, the balance sheet is evenly distributed."

It was commented by some analysts that the Tigers had backed the government into a corner, getting the state to agree to most of their demands. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, rejected this opinion.

The Tigers had some gains, he admitted. For instance, the LTTE may have effectively put off an imminent terrorist listing by the European Union. "Nobody will list a party while talks are on," he averred. In terms of international image, too, things can only improve for the Tigers — particularly if they desist from killings and other aberrations, as agreed.

In the meantime, the LTTE may succeed — between now and April, when the second round will happen — in having the EU travel ban lifted. "The European Union may, despite all our efforts, relax the travel ban and let the Tigers travel for official work to their countries." Also, the LTTE have been able to "get the heat off them on a number of human rights issues", he added.

From the government’s viewpoint, however, the LTTE was forced for the first time to be on the defensive – particularly on the question of child soldiers and "paramilitaries". For a start, the Tigers could not get the word "paramilitaries" included in the final statement. They also had to admit that the problem of child recruitment existed.

"Secondly, the LTTE were appealing to the government to resolve the Karuna problem for them," said a political source closely connected with the peace process. "Consequently, the LTTE showed uncharacteristic vulnerability."

There was a third, more important development, the source stressed: "For the first time, the LTTE was forced to negotiate with the entire south. Everybody in the south was negotiating with the LTTE, whether by remote control`85 or otherwise. This was a fact. It was part of President Mahinda Rajapakse’s strategy."

The source pointed out that even the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya had been party to "whatever that happened in Geneva". There were no street demonstrations in the south. Instead, all opinions were expressed officially and legitimately through the channel of talks.

The diplomat earlier asserted that, while the LTTE may succeed in chipping away at the EU travel restrictions, the Geneva round had set benchmarks for the organisation. "The LTTE cannot again go on a killing spree without severe international penalties,"he said. "It is true that the LTTE bargained on claymores`85. But they can’t do it again."