Wednesday, Mar 12, 2003
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By V.S. Sambandan
The LTTE's chief negotiator, Anton S. Balasingham, made this position after he inaugurated a `courts complex' in rebel-held Kilinochchi town this morning. Recalling that the LTTE was blamed for breaking the past negotiations, Mr. Balasingham said, "yesterday's incident was reason enough for us to start a major war. But we have to be patient. We will prove that we are for peace and wait till we reach the limits of patience. As people prefer peace, we will not resume war immediately. We will be as patient as possible,'' Mr. Balasingham is reported to have told journalists. On Monday, the Sri Lankan Navy sunk an LTTE vessel suspected of carrying arms and ammunition, in international waters 185 nautical miles off eastern Sri Lanka. The consignment is said to have contained huge quantities of military hardware, including heavy artillery. According to the ceasefire agreement, a two-week notice is required if either side decides to snap the truce and return to war. Condemning the incident, Mr. Balasingham, who is presently in the rebel-held northern Sri Lanka to hold talks with the LTTE leadership before the commencement of the sixth round of talks between March 18 and 21 in Japan, said an assurance would be sought from Colombo at the talks later this month that there would be no repeat of such incidents. In a way, Mr. Balasingham's presence in the Vanni since March 2 has made managing the explosive issue easier. It may be recalled that the talks have been under strain since the second round of talks last October when the Colombo High Court passed a 200-year sentence on the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran. The chief negotiator said he was not aware of the details of the consignment on the sunken vessel. "It is our merchant vessel. It is not a secret that we have shipping companies,'' he reportedly said. While the Defence Ministry yesterday said that the vessel was "carrying warlike material,'' Mr. Balasingham reportedly said he was not aware of what was on board the vessel but "as it sank quickly, it could have been carrying fuel.'' The balance of military power, seen by the ceasefire monitors as the most crucial factor in the ongoing truce, Mr. Balasingham said, "was more towards the government'' because of the international agreements it had entered into. "We are not increasing our military power. This situation is favouring the Government, which has not reduced its military expenditure.'' All through the ceasefire, the Tigers have refused to rule out resort to war. Today's reaction is somewhat along predicted lines, especially given the present phase of the peace negotiations. Both Colombo and the Tigers are in need of international financial assistance for economic development, and a major donors conference is scheduled later this year in Tokyo. Moreover, political observers feel that the situation is not yet conducive for the LTTE to break the peace, especially given the suspicion that the sunken vessel was carrying about 200 tonnes of arms and ammunition. The LTTE, according to military observers, needs to replenish its ammunition, as the existing stock would hardly last a major operation. In another development, some senior cadres in the Government-held areas have been called in to attend "political classes'' fuelling speculation in Colombo that the Tigers were recalling their cadres.
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