The Hindu : LTTE threatens to keep off Tokyo meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 13, 2003

International

International

LTTE threatens to keep off Tokyo meet

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO APRIL 12. In its strongest criticism of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) today charged his administration with "impotence" and threatened to "review" its decision to participate in the Tokyo donors' conference.

The criticism came in the form of a statement from the LTTE's political headquarters in Kilinochchi to "protest against the exclusion" of the outfit's "accredited representatives" from the Washington conference to be held on April 14 in preparation for the donors' conference in June. The meetings are seen as crucial events since talks started last September.

Sri Lanka's fragile peace process is bound to get more difficult after today's statement by the Tigers on the twin issues of exclusion from the Washington conference and the efficacy of the administration it is talking with.

The Tigers accused Colombo of "gross violation of the pledges" that the Government and the LTTE "should work together and approach the international community in partnership" by opting to "marginalise our organisation", the statement, published in the TamilNet website said.

Terming the "deliberate exclusion" a "grave breach of good faith", the rebels said they were "deeply disappointed" with the Government and facilitators, Norway, who "failed to ensure the LTTE's participation in this crucial preparatory aid conference by not selecting an appropriate venue".

The LTTE has been kept out of the Washington conference, convened by the U.S, as it is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. As the Tigers were kept out, India decided to send a two-member team to the meeting. The exclusion from Washington, the Tigers said, severely undermined their "trust and confidence in the Government's intentions".

The LTTE reserved its strongest words for issues with military implications. The Tigers, who lost military control over the Jaffna peninsula in 1996, have demanded de-escalation of the Sri Lankan military in the north. This resulted in a stalemate, with the crucial sub-committee on de-escalation and normalisation (SDN) now defunct.

The LTTE said: "The irreconcilable attitude of the Sri Lanka military hierarchy and the impotence of Ranil Wickremesinghe's administration have made all programmes of resettling and rehabilitating hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees and IDPs unrealisable."

Charge against military

This January, after it unilaterally pulled out of the SDN, the LTTE accused the military of adopting an "intransigent and paranoid" approach, but refrained from accusing the Wickremesinghe administration. If at all, it was soft on Mr. Wickremesinghe and reserved its condemnation for the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who also heads the armed forces.

However, the LTTE today questioned the "very efficacy" of the negotiating process, as "decisions and agreements" reached at the peace talks were "not being implemented, eroding the confidence of the Tamil people".

What has hurt the Tigers the most is that their exclusion from the Washington meeting directly challenges their claim as the sole representatives of the island's Tamils — a claim not accepted by other Tamil political parties. This was reflected in the LTTE's statement: "It is only fair and just that the authentic representatives of the Tamil people should have been invited to this major international conference to articulate the interests and aspirations of our people."

Leaving the door ajar, while pushing its brinkmanship approach further, the LTTE wanted the "full implementation of the normalisation aspects" of last year's ceasefire agreement as well as implementation of agreements pertaining to resettlement of refugees and IDPs reached in the six rounds of talks held by both parties".

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

Stories in this Section

Anti-war league survives Iraq war

Saddam is gone, says Al-Douri

Saddam turned down last-minute Russian 'call to go'

Hard fighting might still lie ahead, says Bush

Three letters that could save lives

'Syria must not meddle in Iraq'

Delays, violence mar Nigerian elections

U.N. should have a role in shaping Iraq's future: Pak.

LTTE threatens to keep off Tokyo meet

Two Pak. planes crash