newkerala.com,  Sun Feb 12 10:26:14 EST 2006

    Colombo: US experts hired by Sri Lanka to advise its peace delegates are "too liberal" and "too pro-Tigers" that it could jeopardise the island nation's negotiating position during upcoming talks with the rebels, a state-run newspaper said today.

"Two Harvard specialists who were coaching the Sri Lankan peace team could place the country's position in danger of falling into the hands of Tigers even before talks open on February 22," the Sunday Observer reported.

The government had brought down experts from the Harvard Negotiation Project, a US think tank, to help the
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- The Academic

This is all stupidy of Sri Lankan advisors around Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse.

When they organized even the President tour in India they included a LTTE informant.

That is how they do their home work.

When they hire, they should have asked first what the expert's view with regard to this conflict.

I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED THESE DUMMIES.

May be Tiran Alles should be part of the GOSL team?

http://www.tamilweek.com/Fate_Geneva_talks_0212.html

AndyR wrote:

May be Tiran Alles should be part of the GOSL team?

http://www.tamilweek.com/Fate_Geneva_talks_0212.html

Seems like an article by a journalist paid by LTTE.

Hmmmmm...Lets see, now. The Norwegians invited both by the LTTE and GOSL turns out to be biased and pro-tigers to many in the south, the Americans too, despite thier ban on Tigers and their anti-tiger statements, said to be too soft on Tigers, the Canadians are definitely pro-tigers in the views of south. The UN got even one of thier rep's kicked out of the country by Kadir and were told to mind only about "mosquitoes" and not to interfere in the internal affairs of the country not too long ago,  and now, even the Harvard team hired by the Mahinda gov't, is seen to be pro-tiger and biased. Does anybody see a pattern here??? I think this goes to show how the Sinhala masses still havent come to grip with the real problem that exists in thier own country due to the historical and still ongoing discrimonatory attitudes towards Tamils. I dont think one tamil would consider any of the above third party as being supportive towards them. They just consider them as being just and impartial. But to the South being just and impartial means pro-tiger and biased. The South should shed thier emotional side and look inwards and try to see this conflict in an objective sense, if they wanna solve this problem. They still havent come to the grips that there is some leigitamate and just cause for the Tigers to wage the war that they are engaged in.

Here we go again. First it was India, then Norway and now Harvard. Anyone who tries to mediate and play a hand in bringing an end to the war is branded as tiger sympathisers. Common sense should tell us that the Harvard advisors are there to prepare the negotiators on style and NOT THE CONTENTS.

Let us look at this sentence from the Sunday Observer article:

Quote:

It learnt that two Harvard specialists who were coaching the peace team on some aspects of conflict resolution, for instance, were thought of as being too liberal and possibly too pro Tiger in their views.

The whole article, criticising the 'advisors' is based on this hypothesis. According to this sentence, someone (unknown) thinks that the advisors are being too liberal. Why?? In a matter that is so serious as peace in SL, the least this government-run newspaper can do is to tell its readers who thinks so and on what basis. The Observer has a duty to do so, because by publishing this 'news' as a lead item, it is poisoning the minds of the average population against peace talks in which the President and the government has put a lot of faith. We will very soon see how the simple-minded and slow-witted swallow the poison handed-out by the Observer and start raving against the new round of talks. Exactly what happened in the past.

That is the first part of the hypothesis. The second part, which drops the bombshell says 'possibly too pro tiger in their views'. 'Possibly' - that's innuendo. More than that - utterly illogical. The essence of the article is that the Harvard team is 'possibly' too pro-tiger because they are too liberal. Being pro-tiger is the last thing that a liberal minded person would be. The true pro-tiger campaigners would disagree with me.

Saying that someone can 'possibly' be too pro-tiger because they are too liberal is the same as saying that the tigers are the right choice of liberal, right-thinking, unbiased, independent people. It is the biggest compliment that can be handed-out to the LTTE. Nothing is more pro-tiger than that sentence.

The person who planted this item in the Sunday Observer is out to sabotage the peace process. Just like the rioters of July 1983, he/she is using short-sighted tactics which will boomerang on the GOSL and fatten up the tigers.

Please, please, take some lessons from how we bungled things up with the Indian and Norwegian peacekeeping (or facilitation) and make sure that we dont repeat the same mistake this time.

AnuD wrote:

This is all stupidy of Sri Lankan advisors around Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse. When they organized even the President tour in India they included a LTTE informant.  That is how they do their home work.

When they hire, they should have asked first what the expert's view with regard to this conflict. I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED THESE DUMMIES.

It seems that in general many Sri Lankans don't like any foreign party in the negotiations. First the Government was trying to bring in the third party to give an impression that they are trying very hard to negotiate and they do not have anyone within the Government who understand negotiations.

Then the statements from US came that they are for a federal solution and quickly the Government has dismissed the negotiation strategy people as pro-tiger and pro-liberal.

I agree that it is better not to have a third party in the negotiation team to represent GOSL. On the other hand if no one in the Government has any reasonable alternative then the peace talks will collapse faster than the anticipated start.

This is a report of a report found in the Sunday Observer newspaper. A GOSL's paper.
Some Indian papers who are still unable to get out of hangover of their army's humiliation by LTTE continue to carry reports like this.

Couple of other articles in the Sunday Observer also portray foreigners as favouring LTTE.

In one article it says, that Tom Plate of UCLA, who wrote recently that the newly elected MR is "demonstrating astonishing ineptitude", is blinkered just like the LTTE.

The truth is, almost all foreigners have sympathy for Tamils because they do know that successive Si Lankan Govts have victimised Tamils.  

Many Sinhalese mistakenly believe that  foreign Govts support GOSL, when they call against LTTE's methods.

So, unless GOSL is genuine in their attempt to solve the Tamil problem this nightmare will continue.

With this issue JVP, JHU can start a new slogan "...Kick the Harward out" for provincial council elections.

Their previous slogan of "....kick the Norway out" worked very well during presidential elections.

Once again, blame game starts....this time even before sitting across the table.

With a corrupt military and inefficient government, the GOSL's BATNA is very weak. (BATNA- Better Alternative To Negotiated Agreement). Attempts to get the Indians to do the dirty work did not work this time. No one will fight our war and we do not have the money to conduct another war and implement all the promises of Mahinda Chinthanaya.

This pre-emptive missive in a state-run newspaper tells us what we can expect from the talks. "We could have bargained hard...but our coaches made us to give in"...

AnuD wrote:

This is all stupidy of Sri Lankan advisors around Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse.

When they organized even the President tour in India they included a LTTE informant.

That is how they do their home work.

When they hire, they should have asked first what the expert's view with regard to this conflict.

I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED THESE DUMMIES.

Oh Boy, you don't seem to inderstand anything. You seem more confused than ever. I never thought your level of inteligence is so low.

How can you believe that the Experts from one of the world renowned bodies to be LTTE sympathisers?
Can you put down some arguements why these people should support the LTTE when the GOSL is paying tem for a service?

innocent wrote:

The truth is, almost all foreigners have sympathy for Tamils because they do know that successive Si Lankan Govts have victimised Tamils.  

So, unless GOSL is genuine in their attempt to solve the Tamil problem this nightmare will continue.

INNOCENT:

IF SUCCESIVE SL GOVTS VICTIMIZED TAMILS. But every time those govts had tamils as politicians.

Besides, VP IS HIRING SINHALA YOUTH TO LTTE FIGHTING CADERS.

SO, WHAT YOU PEOPLE SAY AND WHAT L.TTE DO, DO NOT MATCH.

Besides, Anandasangaree says that LTTE attack SLA, that is why SLA attack in retaliation.

The same thing had said by Late Mrs. RAJINI THIRANAGAMA WHO SAID THAT LTTE ATTACK INFRONT OF THE HOSPITALS AND RUN INSIDE THE HOSPITAL OR INTO TAMIL REFUGEE CAMPS. Then IPKF came, attacked patients in the hospital or refugees in the camp.

ANOTHER TAMIL HAD SAID; THE ONLY TAMIL PROBLEM IS GREED, SELFISHNESS AND IGNORANCE. I ADD COMMUNALISM TOO.

There is no rational negotiated solution to a Terrorist problem.


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.... inspire me

" preparations being made to "train" the Government
negotiating team  in the finer points of federalism - confederation as well
as the differences between unitary and united "

Hee Hee .... so the slogan shouters are now learning the difference between united and unitary.... after misleading the whole country and pushing it to the brink of war..... I guess they can aford to do so as their children will not be in the firing line.

AnuD wrote:

innocent wrote:

The truth is, almost all foreigners have sympathy for Tamils because they do know that successive Si Lankan Govts have victimised Tamils.  

So, unless GOSL is genuine in their attempt to solve the Tamil problem this nightmare will continue.

INNOCENT:

IF SUCCESIVE SL GOVTS VICTIMIZED TAMILS. But every time those govts had tamils as politicians.

Besides, VP IS HIRING SINHALA YOUTH TO LTTE FIGHTING CADERS.

SO, WHAT YOU PEOPLE SAY AND WHAT L.TTE DO, DO NOT MATCH.

Besides, Anandasangaree says that LTTE attack SLA, that is why SLA attack in retaliation.

The same thing had said by Late Mrs. RAJINI THIRANAGAMA WHO SAID THAT LTTE ATTACK INFRONT OF THE HOSPITALS AND RUN INSIDE THE HOSPITAL OR INTO TAMIL REFUGEE CAMPS. Then IPKF came, attacked patients in the hospital or refugees in the camp.

ANOTHER TAMIL HAD SAID; THE ONLY TAMIL PROBLEM IS GREED, SELFISHNESS AND IGNORANCE. I ADD COMMUNALISM TOO.

You are a hypocrite says different things at different times, but just attacking Tamils not just the LTTE.

You start off by saying that the Tamils were not victimized. You are quoting a discredited politician. But, what you have conveniently forgotten is everything else what the same politician has said & done in the past. The “L” TULF stands for liberation. He was one of the original signatory to the famous Vaddokoddai Self Determination convention.  The name liberation has not changed from TULF. Sangaree is still saying that the Tamils have grievances. He simply cannot say otherwise. The rest of the militants turned so called democratic are also saying the same thing. You cannot pick & choose.

In your previous postings, you have argued that the SLA is the most disciplined army in the world. Now, you are trying to justify retaliation on civilians by the armed forces.  So, what is the truth AnuD.

Stop blabbering with your communalistic mind.