Government in another peace attempt

regime that attempted to solve the ethnic problem through war is now in an effort to bring the LTTE into negotiation table.

Sri Lanka government has laid a precondition to the facilitator that the international community should guarantee to keep the LTTE in the negotiation table since it abandoned the peace talks halfway several times in the past when it had talks with previous governments.

Instead of previous head of the government delegation Nimal Siripala de Silva or the persons who took part in peace talks under UNP or SLFP alliances, President Mahinda Rajapakse has chosen Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senarathna as the government peace agent.

Reportedly, President Mahinda Rajapakse dispatched Mr. Senarathna to Norway recently in an urgent move to hold several rounds of talks with the peace representatives so as to obtain the support of the international community.

'Lanka-e-News' first reported that Mr. Senarathna held discussions in Norway.

When 'Lanka-e-News' enquired from Minister Rajitha Senarathna on the talks he held with the Norway peace representatives, he said that he had individual talks with Norwegian Minister of Development Eric Solheim, Special Peace Envoy Hansen Bauer, Former Sri Lanka Ambassador John Westborg, Trexy, the in charge of the South Asian region of Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Army, who is responsible of Sri Lankan affairs, Norwegian Opposition Leader and Progress Party MPs.

He said that he asked from the Norwegians if the request to stop war and negotiate was practical. He pointed out that Rajiv Gandhi was killed after the 1987 Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, President Premadasa was assassinated after peace talks with his government, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunga was attempted to be killed by a suicide bomber and votes were blocked to defeat the Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who signed a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE. Meanwhile President D.B. Wijethunga and the current President Mahinda Rajapakse who were not interested in peace talks were survived. Mr. Senarathna pointed out that anyone might think there was no point in talking to LTTE when considered the latter’s actions.

Mr. Senarathna said that he clarified how the LTTE strengthened militarily at any occasion it initiated talks with the government. As evidence, he pointed to a confession of a suicide bomber to BBC who said that the LTTE armed mostly during the time of ceasefire agreement. He said that this ashamed the security forces, the government and the Norway peace envoys who were honest in their peace attempt. Mr. Senarathna said that he informed Norway that the President Mahinda Rajapakse insisted LTTE laying down arms before coming to negotiation table due to these circumstances.

Mr. Senarathna further said that Norway, European Union or India should guarantee that LTTE would stay in peace talks until a final solution was sought. If such guarantee is provided, he is ready to discuss with the President and make a proposal to the cabinet in this regard. He also provided guarantee that he would bring the President and the government to peace talks if such assurance is granted.