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“Top priority of the day is sincere implementation of the CFA”

“If the killings and violence in the military occupied areas of the Tamil homeland is to be stopped, the government as one party should come forward sincerely to effectively fulfil its obligations as agreed upon in the CFA with specific attention on the activities of armed groups that are prohibited by clause 1.8 said Mr. S.P.Tamilselvan in a meeting with H.E. The Norwegian Ambassador Mr.Hans Bratskar today 6 October 2005 at the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi.

At the outset, the Ambassador explained the circumstances that led to the EU’s censure on LTTE delegations visit to European locations. He made specific mention of the assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mr.Lakshman Kadirgamar which he said, was the crucial decision making element for the EU to consider such an action.

Responding to this point, Mr.Tamilselvan said that the LTTE quite well understands the ‘eminence’ factor of the individual concerned and the resultant concern EU had, notwithstanding the fact that more than 80,000 Tamil civilians including children were killed in the several communal pogroms and the two decades of war that Sri Lanka waged against a passive people and that having not drawn such international attention and censure of this nature.

The CFA and by extension the peace process, Mr.Tamilselvan said, consists of two parties and therefore dictates that both the parties have equal status as partners in a political resolution exercise and the international community has a moral obligation to look into the perspectives of both sides, rather than listening and believing one side, in this case the government. In the case of the Foreign Minister’s assassination, the government has parrot-like repeated its accusation and the polity has acted as police, prosecutor, judge and the jury without proper investigations and criminal proceedings. Mr.Tamilselvan continuing his response said, that Colombo is behaving in a manner totally inappropriate to a state that underwent a tragedy when in 1959 its Prime Minister was killed by an extremist Buddhist monk and the current proliferation of armed gangs and underworld characters including military deserters that pollutes the society in the south.

The Tamil people, Mr.Tamilselvan said, who in 1977 opted through their electoral mandate to secede from the body politic of Sri Lanka, did endorse a negotiated political resolution in 2004 by participating in the general election, democratically mandating LTTE as their political leadership, only because of their faith in the international community including EU which plays an overwhelmingly supportive role in the peace process. It is this hope that should not be allowed to erode and, however frustrated they are, Mr.Tamilselvan stressed, that the Tamil people still believe that the window of opportunity provided to them to interface with the international community through their representatives, would be reopened based on ground realities as against the malicious propaganda Colombo is engaged in and the fabrications Colombo media is spinning.

The Tamil message to the international community, Mr.Tamilselvan said is that they are seriously concerned over the jubilation of the extremist elements that are seemingly encouraged by the EU censure and their fear that Colombo would utilise this ‘golden’ opportunity to win the international community towards its build up against the Tamil political struggle.

Responding to the Ambassador’s questions over peace keeping during the presidential election period and the LTTE’s guidance to the Tamil people in participating in the polls, Mr. Tamilselvan said that a peace environment in the military occupied areas could be achieved only by implementing the CFA effectively and in particular by putting an end to the activities of the armed groups, many of them having clandestine links with some sections of the military. The LTTE, he said, is ever prepared to start talks on the implementation of the CFA in a location neutral and satisfactory to both the parties without waiting for the outcome of the presidential polls. Touching on Tamil peoples’ participation in the polls, Mr. Tamilselvan quipped that by virtue of their having suffered immensely under oppressive regimes for more than five decades, the Tamil people are politically conscious and fully capable of exercising their franchise quite independently and hence don’t need any guidance.

The Ambassador reassured Norway’s continued commitment as a facilitator to the peace process and said that the sentiments expressed by the Political Head would be conveyed to the parties concerned and requested Mr.Tamilselvan to utilise the opportunity of meeting with the Former Head of the SLMM Major General Trond Furuhovde in the next few days to concentrate on the modalities of meaningfully implementing the CFA.

Associated with Mr.Tamilselvan in the meeting were, Mr.P.Nadesan, Head of Tamil Eelam Police and the Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat Mr.S.Puleedevan.

06 October 2005

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