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LTTE Political Delegation meets with South African Deputy President

Thanking the Deputy President on behalf of the Tamil people for the concern, Mr.Tamilselvan said that the LTTE is committed to the CFA and has expressed its readiness to recommence negotiations on the basis of the proposals submitted for the formation of an interim administration, an understanding reached between the former government and the LTTE on behalf of the Tamil people.

Continuing further on the circumstances that led to the ‘no- progress’ situation in the peace process, Mr.Tamilselvan had this to say:

“It is unfortunate that the parliament was dissolved at a time when the government was about to recommence the peace negotiations. The political environment completely changed with the new minority government entering into a coalition with an extremist political party holding diametrically opposed views on the peace process, CFA, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that monitors the truce and Norwegian facilitation as a whole. This political situation is not conducive for a consensus within the government and hence the inaction in the peace front.

Hardships of the Tamil people during the two decades of war were to be alleviated with the understanding reached in the CFA, but it is unfortunate that the clauses relating to bringing back ‘normalcy’ in their battered life were not worth consideration by the government in power for effective implementation. Eighty thousand civilians killed, a million made refugees in all parts of the world, half a million still languishing in refugee camps and welfare centers, denied access to their habitats under the pretext of a ‘High Security Zone’ in areas still under military occupation, the Tamil people continue to suffer in silence. These tribulations are beginning to be included in the pages of forgotten history of the bitter experience Tamil people had in the hands of successive governments after independence, now that Tsunami had overtaken the continued man-made tragedies.

Tsunami impact was asymmetrical to the Tamil people in view of the destruction they faced during the two decades of war. With the hope of transforming an adversity for the larger interest of building mutual confidence, we agreed for the formulation of a Joint Mechanism drafted by Norway but we haven’t yet received the green light from the government though it is more than a month since the facilitators handed over the draft to the government. It is now the responsibility of the international community to make Colombo move in the right direction and thereby ensure that the Tamil peace electorate is no more pushed to the fringe of frustration, a situation that would endanger the peace process”

The delegation had a meeting with Mr.Sibusiso Ndebele, Premier, KwaZulu-Natal and Mr. Michael Mabuyakhu, MPP, Minister, Local Government, Housing and Traditional Affairs along with many other ANC Officials yesterday 10 April 2005. Associated in these meetings was Mr.Ibrahim Ibrahim, Senior Advisor to the Vice President. Later in the day the LTTE delegation attended a cultural event of the Tamil community under the auspices of the Tamil Federation, wherein Mr.Tamilselvan delivered a special guest address. He also met with several groups of Tamils in different parts of Durban.

12 April 2005

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