S.Lankan Peace Process Makes Huge Process, but Challenges Still Lie Ahead

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 02, 2003

S.Lankan Peace Process Makes Huge Process, but Challenges Still Lie Ahead

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The Sri Lankan people, who have suffered severe hardships in the 19-year ethnic war, have experienced a calm and peaceful year as guns have fallen silent since the government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels entered a truce agreement early this year.

With the facilitation of Norwegian peace brokers, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels commenced a formal truce in February under an indefinite ceasefire agreement.

The ceasefire was initiated by the LTTE rebels on Christmas evein 2001, prior to the signing of the truce agreement, and the new government which took power following the victory in the Dec. 5 parliamentary elections in the same year quickly reciprocated the unilateral ceasefire declared by the rebels.

The truce paved the way for the direct peace talks between the two warring parties, the first within seven years.

To build up mutual confidence, the government lifted the economic embargo imposed on the rebel-held north and the key A-9 highway linking the country's north and south was reopened after 12 years of closure. The life of Tamils improved greatly with the steady flow of desperately needed daily necessities into their areas.

The government adopted a highly flexible attitude concerning the status of the LTTE rebels, who have insisted on their legitimacy as a partner during direct negotiations with the government.

The ban on the LTTE rebels was lifted before the commencement of the direct peace talks between the two sides, although the rebels remain on the list of terrorist organizations in foreign countries including the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and Sri Lanka's influential neighbor India.

The long-awaited direct peace talks between the government and the LTTE rebels, which had been scheduled to be held in early May but was postponed several times, finally kicked off in mid-September in Thailand.

The last three rounds of peace talks, respectively held in Thailand and Norwegian capital Oslo, have proved fruitful with rapid progress.

During the first round of direct negotiations, the LTTE rebels declared that they have dropped their demand of an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of the country, for which they have been fighting since 1983.

The third round saw a breakthrough as the rebels agreed to share power with the government under a federal structure within one united country.

The prospects for peace are encouraging but challenges still confront the two sides.

As government chief negotiator Constitutional Minister G.L. Peiris has put it, the process is just a beginning and a lot of work needs to be done.

Although both sides have agreed to settle the long-running ethnic conflict under a federal system, they have not touched the thorny issues such as the disarming of the rebels and the definition of the geographical regions for a future autonomous administration of the rebels.

The Muslims, who cohabit with Tamil rebels in the east of the country and have repeatedly accused the rebels of harassment, alsowant a separate administrative unit of their own, once Tamils are granted regional autonomy.

Accounting for some 8 percent of the country's total population of nearly 19 million and having 12 seats in the 225-member parliament, the Muslims can make or break the coalition governmentof Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe which has a slight majorityin the parliament. So the government can not afford to ignore their concerns in the peace process.

Moreover, the success of the peace also depends heavily on the support of main opposition People's Alliance (PA) led by President Kumaratunga, which is critical of the way in which the government is handling the peace process.

The government needs to enshrine the federal system in the new constitution which requires a two-thirds majority support in the parliament.

The federal system is not the creation of the current government and the LTTE rebels. In 2000, the former PA government put the concept into the amendment of the constitution but it was forced to be withdrawn from the parliament due to the lack of the crucial support by the then main opposition United National Party led by Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The fourth round of peace talks is to take place in Thailand early next month but it is overshadowed by a row between the government and the LTTE rebels over the issue of disarming rebels.

The government said that it will withdraw its armed forces from the so-called high security zones in northern Jaffna peninsula only after the rebels disarm themselves, while the LTTE rebels dismissed the government demand and blamed it for disrupting current peace process by setting preconditions.

The LTTE's chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, noted that the issue of the resettlement of the displaced Tamil people will be taken up in the fourth round of peace talks.

He warned that the army's hard-line attitude towards the issue of disarming rebels in return for the resettlement of the displace Tamils is "unacceptable."

Despite the difficulties faced by the two sides, majority of Sri Lankans believe that this is the last chance for achieving peace in their country and peace will eventually come, according to a survey.

The people in the country started to enjoy peace dividends as its economy is expected to grow by 3 percent this year, a reversal from a contracted economic growth recorded in the year 2001.

The atmosphere of peace has permeated in capital Colombo with colorful lights illuminating main streets of the city during the night since the beginning of the festive season in December. For the first time in many years the residents enjoyed the spectacular scene although the country suffers from severe power shortage.

Following the ceasefire, the roadblocks and a considerable number of army check points in the capital have been removed. The residents here no longer fear suicide bombing attack by the LTTE rebels, which has killed hundreds of innocent people and a number of high-ranking government officials including president Premadasa and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

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