Sri Lankan Old Rivals Enhance Mutual Trust in Talks

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 01, 2002

Sri Lankan Old Rivals Enhance Mutual Trust in Talks

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The Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, who have been fighting with each other ruthlessly for 19 years, are increasing mutual trust as they entered the second round of peace talks in a central Thai resort hotel Thursday.

Unlike the first round of talks held deep inside the heavily-guarded compounds of a Thai naval base six weeks ago, this time the two sides chose to sit together in a rose-blooming resort, 32 kilometers west of Bangkok, wearing casual dresses for negotiations.

"The talks will focus on setting up a Joint Task Force (JTF) to implement urgent humanitarian measures in war-torn areas and a plan to ask for more international aid," said Erik Solheim, the Norwegian broker of the peace talks.

Sri Lanka's renewed peace efforts started last month in southern Thai naval base of Sattahip, as both sides had their first peace talks in seven years and agreed to hold another three rounds of talks between Oct. 31 and Jan. 7 next year.

The current round between Oct. 31 and Nov. 31 is part of that process, which will also address security issues and the demands of Muslims, the country's second-largest ethnic minority group.

The LTTE, claiming to represent the largest minority of Tamils,has been fighting with the government for two decades for an independent Tamil state. It recently dropped the separatist stance and agreed to settle for an autonomy.

Good signs of mutual trust

Sri Lankan Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, who led the government team in the talks, said he was very happy to fly into Thailand with the LTTE delegation on the same plane for the first time in the country's history.

"It is a good augury. It means the two parties are trying to agree on as many things as possible," he said after arriving in Thailand Wednesday.

Earlier that day, also for the first time, the LTTE delegation left Sri Lanka from the Colombo airport, which the rebellious organization attacked just 15 months ago.

LTTE's chief negotiator Anton Balsingham said mutual confidence between the two old rivals is growing since they struck a cease-fire deal in Feb.

In another sign of trust-building, the ongoing talks for the first time included military representatives from both sides. The LTTE brought their military commander for east front, Karuna, while the government's team has major general Shantha Kottegoda.

The two combatants nearly killed each other five years ago in abattle, but now they are talking to each other with quite ease.

The two sides also exchanged prisoners of war for the first time in September.

Peace yields dividends

The ongoing peace process not only gives hope to millions of Sri Lankans who suffered greatly in one of the contemporary world's bloodiest civil wars which has killed over 64,500 and displaced 1.8 million since 1983, but also brings real benefits to the island.

According to recent figures from the country's central bank, after a recession in 2001, the economy has returned to growth since the cease-fire pact was signed by the government and the LTTE in February. The growth rate could reach 4.5 percent in the third quarter. Exports and tourism arrivals also surged.

Meanwhile, UN statistics show that some 213,000 persons displaced internally during the war, or a quarter of the total in that country, have returned home. Traffic between the LTTE-controlled areas and the rest of the country has been reopened and intra-regional trade began to flourish again.

Shadows remain

On the eve of the current talks, a curfew was imposed in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo after inter-communal clashes between Muslims and Sinhalese. Months ago, conflicts between Tamils and Muslims in the country's East Province nearly cost the cease-fire deal.

As many noticed, ethnic divide is deep-rooted in Sri Lanka, which could be a major challenge for the peace talks. Singhalese make up 74 percent of the country's population and dominate the government, followed by Tamils (12 percent) and Muslims (7 percent). These groups are always at odds.

The British colonial policy of "divide and rule" sowed the seeds of tensions between Singhalese and Tamils before the country's independence in 1948. The growing Singhalese nationalism prompted the government to adopt some unfair policies toward Tamils from 1956 to 1987, which sparked the civil war eventually. And the gap can not be bridged overnight.

On the economic side, it is estimated that reconstruction work in the country's war-torn north and east urgently needs at least half billion US dollars, which is apparently beyond the ability of the government itself.

A meeting to be held in Norway next month will try to seek donations from the world community but no one is sure for now that will generate enough budget for Sri Lanka's rebuilding.

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