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No by-passing of Norway in any peace initiatives

“While appreciating your concern for peace and harmony, we cannot by-pass Norway in establishing contacts with the government to initiate a dialogue with President Mahinda Rajapakse as suggested by the inter-religious group” said Mr.S.P.Tamilselvan responding to the inter-religious group of Buddhist priests and Catholic clergy who met with Mr.S.P.Tamilselvan, Head of the LTTE Political Wing the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi today 23 May 2006. And the inter-religious group urged the LTTE to develop contacts with President Rajapakse.

The group of priests expressed concern over the vicious cycle of violence and said that they met with President Rajapakse only a few days ago wherein the President is alleged to have said that he is keenly interested in meeting with the Tamil National Leader Mr.V.Prabakaran with a view to discuss the national problem and find a negotiated solution. The group suggested that the Political Wing get in touch with Mr.Lalith Weerasinghe, Secretary to the President and thereby initiate a process of dialogue.

Mr.Tamilselvan suggested to the group that the key element in the peace process is the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and the government, if it is sincerely interested in making progress in the peace process, it has to ensure full implementation of the CFA in so far as the delivery of normalcy to the war affected civilian Tamil population that is living under perpetual military occupation. The CFA, Mr.Tamilselvan said is no resolution of the political conflict, but only a means to create a positive atmosphere that would provide the basic peace dividend to the war hit Tamil people, which is normalcy in their day to day life. Lamenting over the plight of the internally displaced Tamil population, in some case for over twenty five years, Mr.Tamilselvan said that these people should be provided unfettered access to their habitats without any military constraints. Good will gestures of this kind would not cost anything to the government since they are all included in the CFA according to a time frame that has lapsed long ago continued Mr.Tamilselvan.

Appreciating the concern of Mr.Tamilselvan over the critical state of the CFA and the pathetic plight of the Tamil people in the military occupied parts of the Tamil homeland, the group assured that they would convey these sentiments to the President as well as the progressively thinking Sinhala people and requested of Mr.Tamilselvan to work hard towards meeting with the government without much delay so that the stalled talks could resume and bring about normalcy.

23 May 2006

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