Shimali Senanayake in CELIGNY, Switzerland,  Wed Feb 22 08:49:50 EST 2006

    The Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels locked-horns
immediately after opening talks on Wednesday, breaking a three-year
deadlock, as
Norwegian peace brokers cautioned against any high expectations at the
end of the two-day meeting.The government in a hard-hitting opening statement called the
cease-fire agreement _ that  is four years old to the date _
"contrary to our constitution and law."

Full Story


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- The Academic

Quote:

Nimal Siripala--our delegation affirms and emphasizes the position of the Government of Sri Lanka that the Ceasefire Agreement entered into between the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mr. V.Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE on the 22nd February 2002 is contrary to our Constitution and law. Furthermore, it is prejudicial to the sovereignty andthe territorial integrity of the Republic of SriLanka.

How about sitting and talking with a 'terrorist' organization, banned in many countries, and when there are numerous warrants for the arrest of many members of the Ltte in India and SL?

Yeah just keep on fighting and stay poor while India is eating up all outsourcing jobs.  They are even going to hire investment bankers in India now.  These are high paid jobs.  Sri Lanka continues to export thousands of poor women to be raped in the middle eastern countiries while our soorayas in the net talk tough.

What a statement!

In fact the Constitution was the cause of the war over the last two decades.

RW's CFA dragged on for 4 years and now MR and team wants to create a new CFA.  So what when the govt. changes in 4 to 5 years, again the CFA will be changed and there is no end.

MR is dancing to the tune of JVP and JHU.   These two do not care about the country but keen in increasing the support to their own parties.  JVP should get ready with their trained conmrades to join the army and fight the LTTE.


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Be patriotic .. think of the motherland

In my humble opinion the talks are a big public relations operation for both parties. They want to show to the world that they tried peace before going back to war. Otherwise would they go to talk on two mutually exclusive objectives according to the opening statements. I wish and pray that I am wrong. I hope the parties will realize the terrible human cost of war. I also hope that the international community will read this acting game and put consequential pressure to solve this problem on humanitarian grounds.

lakson!
you are almost right.
JVP badly need the war, hoping that karuna can make a different in the war. They do care about the outcome. However they want to be in power in the next elections. Whatever the outcome of the war, they can make it.
MR could have sent Wimal Weeravansa for the peace talks.

"contrary to our constitution and law."

Isnt that kinda amusing? So at one time the SLG had a ceasfire which stayed in place for the best part of 2 years, there was finally some progress, development and peace in the country; the LTTE was (maybe as a result) weakend by the break away faction and this CFA is found to be contrary to the 'constitution and law.' So would that also mean that the 'constitution and law' might also need changing?!

I get the feeling that eventually the SLG might work around a similar ceasefire agreement with a few ornamentations here n there and all this fuss and bravado will not amount to anything, just poor soldiers who lost their lives. It may also happen that the JVP can use this to turn against the government and create social unrest that may favour them, unless of course their leaders enjoy their pockets being filled by being in the government and wouldnt care for such issues. The same goes for the JHU.

I pity the common man across the country and wish that at least some ceasefire holds in what ever form it materializes so that people can go about their daily lives and progress.

Quote:

Ceasefire Agreement entered into between the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mr. V. Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE on the 22nd February 2002 is contrary to our Constitution and law,"

What about bombing or arbitrary arrest of citizens due to their ethnicity?
The constitution (and the Law) needs changes to accommodate all walks of people within united Sri Lanka, I don't think anyone in the south wants to even whisper about constitutional change.

"....The government in a hard-hitting opening statement called the cease-fire agreement _ that is four years old to the date _ "contrary to our constitution and law."
"It is prejudicial to the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the republic of Sri Lanka," the government's chief negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva said in his opening remarks. ..."

Ah! here they go again. We all know that the current constution is not adiquate enough to solve the problem. So ANY solution will go outside the current constution. So why are you crying? If you have a problem that it is outside the current constution why don't you go to the supreme court like you did for Tsunami P-TOMS? why waste the Swiss money and go there?
And also this is the game of Sinhalese, one party sign an agrement then other comes to power and tear it! This is what the Tamils have been arguging all along. There is no guarentee that any agreement signed by one party will be honoured by the other.

"We cannot accept such exaggerated figures as authentic acts of ceasefire violations," Balasingham, dressed in a three-piece suit told the government team.

Balasingam dressed in three-piece suit? Didn't see the pictures or you are counting the Tie as a piece?

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17260
http://www.tamilnaatham.com/photos/20060222/SWISS/

raguna wrote:

"....Balasingam dressed in three-piece suit? Didn't see the pictures or you are counting the Tie as a piece?

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=17260
http://www.tamilnaatham.com/photos/20060222/SWISS/

Interesting to note how some reporters create stories and impressions. Reporter intendeds to create a scenario to tell the readers a different story. Shimali Senanayake is well known to create stories. Thanks for the links and I cannot see a three piece suit either..

Most of the SL variety reporters are like that only. They want to let the unsuspecting reader that they are good in reporting.  Also this 'three-piece suit' word was intentionaly put to indicate the LTTE is wearing out-dated fashion. Poor SL journalist guys what else they can do? Cannot come up with object analisys! Or may be he is counting Tie as a piece!
They are brought-up to write these kind of crap only. Remember the health minister's recent claim that the Bird-flue is brought into SriLanka from India via Vanni by smuggling of Chicken into vanni! He thinks that he can create pannic in Vanni region and make the people come to their controll. profound genius! He is a health minister!
Reminds me of another profound genius minister (may be Hector Kopakaduwa) saying that the 70's rice shortage is due to rice being smuggled to India by Tamils of VVT!

I tink the opening statements by both parties are good indications this is not goin to be a success. It is public knowledge the LTTE only agreed to take up the implementation of the ceasefire and this was even confirmed by the Norwegians in thier public statements and yet, the SL seems to have thier own agenda.  Thier opening statement that current ceasefire is contray to their constitution and the arguements they put forward are clear indications of the real objective, which is i tink is to somehow force the tigers to agree to thier terms in amending the ceasefire, using the Norwegians and the Int's community in these talks in presenting and convincing thier case. They are in false hope, if they belive Tigers may be coerced to amend the ceasefire. The Tigers wil simply walk out of the talks. And the SL probably hopes that if the tigers do walk out, as long as the blame is on the Tigers, it should be sufficient for them. Time will tell, what will happen.

Putting all the bickerings aside, could anybody comment on the folloing points please:

1. VP, Pottu and few other top rankers in LTTE have been convicted by both India and SL for their dirrect involvement in assasinations including Rajiv Gandhi. Their names are in the ITERPOL list. Let assume that GOSL will agree to pardon them for peace in the NE but will India do the same?

2. Let's assume that GOSL even offer them the self rule or even Tamil Elam.  What are the options left for those convicted guys to come out from their hiding to take over the administration? Or are they planning to keep hiding for ever from India?

3. Is GOSL ready to protect VP, Pottu etc from India violating the international extradition agreement for which the SL is a signatory. Or what option left for GOSL if India make an official request to hand over the VP?


Under these circumstances, it seems that the war-for-ever has become the only option for VP, not for JVP.  The only option remain for GOSL to establish permenent peace with the LTTE under the leadership of VP is giving an assurance  that VP be protected from Indian arrest at any cost.  Ordinary Tamils in the NE should not whatsoever pay the price for what few of the LTTE guys have done.


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agro

psilva wrote:

Putting all the bickerings aside, could anybody comment on the folloing points please:
1. VP, Pottu and few other top rankers in LTTE have been convicted by both India ....

3. Is GOSL ready to protect VP, Pottu etc from India violating the international extradition agreement for ............

Ordinary Tamils in the NE should not whatsoever pay the price for what few of the LTTE guys have done.

There are many instances in the name of peace, agreements can be reached. Just look at East Timor and South Africa where thousands were killed by the Government and the rebels and now they have signed an agreement. Atrocities are done by both parties and some of them are publicised some are hidden under the carpet like Chemmani.

JVP is a prime example within Sri Lanka who were behind many killings (including Mr. Kumaratunga) and then they have formed a coalition with Chandrika. How about the Sinhala youth killed by the army in that period under the direction of the Government. Certainly they are not allowed under any international laws either. Interpol issues warrant under request from a Government and they will remove it if requested by the same Government.

So my point is this will not be the key issue for not arriving at a solution in Peace Talks.