The Government’s position on talks with the LTTE
[13 Dec 2000]

In her address to Parliament on November 9, 2000, as indeed on many previous occasions, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga reiterated the government’s commitment to a negotiated settlement of Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict. She has also made it categorically clear that the door for talks with the LTTE remained open.

The government, in the process of achieving its objective of guaranteeing the rights of the Tamil citizens, as well as all other minorities, has done much and shall continue to adopt every measure necessary to fulfil this goal. Yet it must be noted that there exists several pre0requisistes for its effective attainment. They are:

1. the honest political commitment of the government,

2. the clear agreement of the majority of Sri Lankans,

3. an end to the war and all forms of terrorist activity.

This government possesses the first requisite in full measure and has successfully obtained the second, through repeated mandates given at ten elections. The third requires the honest participation of the LTTE. The repeated offer of this government to engage in talks with the objective of achieving the third requisite has been constantly evaded by the LTTE, since August 1994. During the entire eight months of talks between the government and the LTTE in 1994/1995, discussions on these two essential matters (an end to the war and all forms of terrorist activity) were firmly refused by the LTTE.

The government has noted with interest that even at this late stage Velupillai Pirabaharan, the LTTE leader in his November 27 speech has responded somewhat positively to the government’s stand on the resumption of talks. In this speech, the LTTE leader committed himself ‘ not to oppose peaceful processes, nor to be against participation in peaceful dialogue.’

However, a careful reading of the LTTE leader’s speech gives the impression that his readiness for peace talks is not without ambiguity. He insists on the ‘creation of a cordial atmosphere and conditions of normalcy conducive for peace negotiations.’ The LTTE leader does not spell out what he means by ‘conditions of normalcy.’ the government is aware that the LTTE has held and expressed the view that “ conditions of normalcy” include the withdrawal of the armed forces from Jaffna and the Northern Province as a precondition to the commencement of any talks.

In the government’s view the crucial political issues that affect the future of Sri Lanka should not be evaded any longer. The government states that political talks with the LTTE aimed at resolving the conflict can and should begin forthwith. This requires that the LTTE agree that the core issues should comprise the agenda of negotiations. The core issues, as the government has consistently maintained are: the stoppage of war, the stoppage of all terrorist killings, the resolution of the Tamil people’s problems through negotiated political settlement and a speedy resolution of the problems of those displaced by war.

Mr. Pirabaharan has also expressed his desire for ‘a process of de-escalation of war leading to cessation of armed hostilities.’ This is proposed almost as a pre-condition for talks. In the government’s view the de-escalation of war could be considered only as the talks progress towards a definitive stage in resolving the conflict.

The government is acutely aware that there are difficulties faced by the civilian population, in conflict areas, in the North and the East. This is due to the inescapable fact that there is an on-going war for which the LTTE bears a heavy responsibility. The government wishes to remind the LTTE leader that it has taken every possible step to improve the conditions of civilian life in areas under government control. It has to be emphasised that it is the LTTE that has constantly disrupted the supply of goods and services to the people in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The government is of the view that issues concerning the normalization of civilian life could also be discussed in the course of the proposed talks.

The LTTE leader has claimed sovereignty over Jaffna while issuing a challenge to the State that his movement will ‘regain Jaffna.’ The government’s position as has been clearly reiterated to all concerned is that Sri Lanka is a single sovereign State, the territorial integrity of which is not and cannot be put in question; nor is it a negotiable issue. The government also reiterates that Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, pluralistic State in which there is no space for mono-ethnic political entities. The government and its armed forces shall continue to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Sri Lanka.

Finally the government wishes to state that the time has come to move beyond rhetoric to the discussion of concrete political issues, within a definite time frame with a clear political outcome in view. 

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