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Sunday, May 03, 2009 - 06.35 GMT |
LTTE should allow IDPs to leave – Akashi
“Heartwarming
that Sinhalese are collecting aid for
northern IDPs” |
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We hope that even now the LTTE will change
its attitude and let the IDPs in areas it
still holds move to other areas, as several
thousands of others had already done, said
Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Japan’s special envoy
for Peace Building, Rehabilitation and
Reconstruction in Sri Lanka at a Media
Briefing in Colombo May 2.
‘It is heartwarming that people from the
south of Sri Lanka, most of them Sinhalese,
are collecting goods and money for the
internally displaced people from the north.
I hope this spirit of harmony and friendship
will prevail in the future”, he said.
One of the major tragedies that led to the
breakdown of the peace process in Sri Lanka
was the LTTE’s failure to attend the Tokyo
Conference in 2003, for which it was
invited, and which produced the Tokyo
Declaration, which was a road map to peace
in the country, he said
Commenting on conditions in the IDP transit
centres, where he said they could be better,
but for the sudden influx of several
thousands within two weeks.
The media briefing was held at the end of
crowded schedule during which he had a
two-and half hour meeting with President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, where the focus of
discussion was the humanitarian conditions
regarding the IDPs and the government’s
military operations against the LTTE to
eradiate terrorism..
Mr. Akashi who had visited major IDP
facility said he was impressed by the
commitment and dedicated efforts of the
leaders of the relief operations to help
ease the conditions of the people, and the
good coordination and cooperation between
the government departments and officials and
the UN, UNHCR, UNICEF and other relief
agencies There were vocational, training
facilities already in place, education was
provided to children, and some of the IDPs
had even planted vegetable plots around
their shelters.
He was pleased that President Rajapaksa had
attached great importance to the position
that the solution to the problem in Sri
Lanka was not military but political, and
was firmly committed to ensuring that all
the people of the country could live
together in friendship and harmony.
Answering questions on reports of heavy
armed attacks in the No Fire Zone, he said
there were such reports, “but I do not know
from where the firing was coming. There was
no way of establishing the veracity of the
various reports received.” He expressed hope
that the government will remain faithful to
its policy of restraint and zero tolerance
of casualties, and in keeping with its
statement of April 27, restrict military
action to self-defence and absolutely
necessary action for humanitarian reasons.
Questioned on conditions for Japanese
bilateral aid to Sri Lanka if the current
humanitarian military operations continue,
Mr. Akashi said the Japanese policy on
country aid was based on certain criteria
for each country, for longer term
development, although the situation could be
reviewed in the future if the necessity
arose for such review.
With regard to the Co-Chairs, he said Japan
did not agree with the view of the other
Co-Chair members that economic assistance
should be linked to success in the peace
process. “Problems caused by the misjudgment
of leaders, should not be used to punish the
people,” said. Responding to another
question whether Japan disagreed with the
Western position on the need for a ceasefire
or cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka, he
said the two matters had different political
connotations, and he was not certain whether
was any such commonly agreed western
position on the issue.
He said the Japanese Cabinet had last week
decided give US$ 4 million as aid to Sri
Lanka specifically for non-food, water
supply and other needs of the IDPs.
He had been assured by President Rajapaksa
that 80 percent of the present IDPs would be
resettled in by end December this year their
were constraints with regard to the progress
of de-mining operations, and the need to
conform to international standards on
resettlement, to which Sri Lanka was
committed.
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