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Tamilnation > Struggle for Tamil Eelam > Conflict Resolution - Tamil Eelam - Sri Lanka > Norwegian Peace Initiative > Sri Lanka Army suffers further major debacles > Sri Lanka: Prospects for Peace - Association of Tamil Americans, New York
Sri Lanka - Prospects for Peace
Associations of Tamil Americans
Newburgh, New York - 10 June 2001
"Despite increasing pressure for peace from several fronts, both domestic and international, the war in Sri Lanka is continuing. The intensity of the battles waxes and wanes, but the war itself is ongoing... India, which attempted and failed to play broker (1987-1990) has been vacillating about support for a negotiated solution and foreign mediation. India with its own ethnic conflicts is leery of for�eign involvement in what it considers its �own backyard�.. The US policy has been contradictory and unhelpful. The US State Department reports on human rights for the last few years have been severely critical of the Sri Lankan record. However, the administration has continued to provide military assistance to the very same armed forces it has accused of the human rights violations...The Norwegian initiative is unlikely to make progress in the near term without more vigorous efforts by the international community..." |
Introduction
Despite increasing pressure for peace from several fronts, both domestic and international, the war in Sri Lanka is continuing. The intensity of the battles waxes and wanes, but the war itself is ongoing. There is no direct dialogue between the warring parties. However, there is an intensified effort by the government of Norway to get the parties to talk.
Norway was officially inducted as a facilitator in December of 1999, with the acceptance by President Chandrika Kumaratunge. Up to that point Sri Lanka government had been vigorously resisting any foreign assistance in resolving the conflict. (1)
This acquiescence came with mounting international criticism over human rights violations, and the multiple defeats in the battlefront suffered by the Sri Lankan army. Criticisms centered on the Chemmani mass graves (found in July 1998) and the subsequent 14-month attempt at concealment, the regular aerial bombardments with large scale Tamil civilian casualties, and the widely publicized prison massacre of Tamil inmates, etc. The Sri Lankan military losses, which culminated in the fall of the Elephant Pass army camp (2) were an added compulsion.
The LTTE, which had been pushing for peace talks, with a third party involvement, for several years (3) had previously accepted Norway as facilitator/mediator.
Having entered the process reluctantly, the Sri Lankan government tried to scuffle the process with numerous delays, contradictory statements and attempts to provoke the LTTE into rejecting talks.
On Christmas Eve 2000, LTTE declared a unilateral ceasefire initially for one month, and renewed it monthly for four months (4) ,in an attempt to jump-start the failing peace process. During this period, the LTTE also made several goodwill gestures, such as releasing prisoners of war (5). The government refused to reciprocate (6) and launched a number of military operations aimed at provoking the LTTE into abandoning the ceasefire (7). Finally, after four months of self-restraint, on 23 April 2001, LTTE withdrew the ceasefire (8).
Norway�s special envoy Eric Solheim, however, has continued to shuttle between Colombo, Vanni, London, Delhi and Washington, trying to move the process forward.
The push for peace, both within Sri Lanka as well as internationally, does not have adequate impetus for the process to move forward. In fact, within Sri Lanka the push for war is greater. Internationally, interest and enthusiasm is lukewarm at best. Although India, the UK and the US (the �big three�) have shown greater interest, recent actions by some countries have actually been negative.
Systemically, the Sinhala constituency in Sri Lanka is incapable of recognizing or accommodating the rights of the Tamil-speaking people. This is due mainly to the entrenched religious (Buddhist) fundamentalism and fanaticism entwined with nationalism. This attitude is often referred to as the �Mahavamsa-mindset.�
Mahavamsa., a 6th century AD chronicle written by a Buddhist monk (Mahanama), has become both the history and the bible of the Sinhala people [see Appendix II]. This book claims the entire island to be Sinhala�Buddhist, and refers to all others as sub�human (�Nagas� or serpents and �Yakkas� or devils). For example, the Mahavamsa describes the story of a Sinhala king who became remorseful after he had killed thousands of Tamils in a battle, and the Buddhist priests consoled him that he had not killed humans. (9). Sinhala children are taught the Mahavamsa.
Buddhism is the state religion of Sri Lanka. The Maha Sangha (the Supreme Council of Buddhist Priests) has a strong influence on governmental affairs. The current practice is for the President and Cabinet Ministers to consult the Maha Sangha on important state affairs. The military seeks and receives the blessings of the Maha Sangha before major military operations.
The draft proposal for the new constitution seeks to entrench this practice of consulting with the �Supreme Council� into the constitution [Appendix I.]
The Maha Sangha is opposed to any accommodation of Tamil rights. They believe that Sri Lanka is Sinhala-Buddhist country, and if this notion is accepted the �minorities� have their permission to live there. They deny the existence of a Tam ii homeland in the northeast of the island.
In 1957, the Prime Minister Mr. Bandaranaike (current president�s father) withdrew a pact with the Tamil leadership (B-C Pact) at the urging of the Maha Sangha. He was assassinated by a Buddhist monk in 1959 for his continued efforts to work with the Tamils.
In 1965, Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake let another pact with the Tamils expire due to pressure from the Maha Sangha.
In August 2000, President Kumaratunge faced with opposition from the Maha Sangha and the ultra- nationalists, withdrew a Reform Bill aimed at devolution of power to the Tamils.(10)
The Maha Sangha has been demanding that Mr. Eric Solheim be declared persona non grata and expelled from the country, and according to latest news he is being slowly edged out.
The Maha Sangha influence on the Sinhala society is such that, at independence (1948) several Sinhala leaders had to convert to Buddhism to be elected to office. Former Prime Ministers, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (current president�s father), Sirimavo Bandaranaike (current president�s mother), Dudley Senanayake, and former president Junius Richard Jayewardene, among others were Christians who underwent religious conversion in order to be elected to public office.
Subsequent Sinhala leaders educated in the Mahavamsa tradition form childhood are comfortable with the dictates of the Maha Sangha. For example, the current president, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunge, carries out Maha Sangha agenda with apparent con�viction. Recent actions of President Kumaratunge bears ample testimony.
1. Her government has been dragging its feet on the subject of setting a date for direct talks with the LTTE, despite a concerted effort by Mr. Solheim.
2. At the same time, her government started a campaign to urge other countries (e.g. UK) to ban the LTTE (11). This action casts serious doubt on her willingness to negotiate peace with the LTTE.
3. Her government not only failed to reciprocate the unilateral LTTE ceasefire, but also went on the offensive, to publicly ridicule the ceasefire. It also launched several military offensives during the 4-month LTTE ceasefire, trying to provoke the LTTE into resuming war.
4. Public pronouncements by the different arms of her government have been conflicting. While the President�s public announcements (12) are for peace, her Prime Minister (13) Foreign Minister and the army commanders (14) are pushing a hard-line agenda.
5. The government has also sharply escalated military ex�penditure, with a large-scale purchase of heavy weapons. The military budget this year was increased by 20%. The actual spending last year was almost double the budgetary allocation (15)
The Maha Sangha�s stranglehold on the Sinhala society, and its leadership, will not allow a negotiated solution to the Sinhala�Tamil conflict. Some leaders act out of fear of a Maha Sangha instigated Sinhala backlash, but most work out of conviction of the Mahavamsa teachings. The net effect is that no Sinhala leader will agree to accommodation of Tamil rights in Sri Lanka.
The press in Sri Lanka also falls in line with the Maha Sangha dictate. A good number of the published materials promote war. Some are disparaging not only of the Tamil leadership, but also of others who speak for Tamil rights.
When the British Junior Foreign Minister Peter Ham suggested self-determination for Tamils, there was massive condemnation (16). US congressmen Benjamin Gilman and Brad Sherman, British parliamentarians Jeremy Corbin MP, Simon Hughes MP, and European parliamentarian Robert Evans have also come under criticism, somewhat mildly. The current invectives against Norway�s special envoy Eric Solheim are much more severe and plentiful (17).
Several Sinhala-Buddhist ultra�nationalist groups (Sinhala Urumaya, Sinhala Veera Vid�hanaya, NMAT, etc.) function in conjunction with the Maha Sangha, protesting the peace efforts (18)
Britain as a colonial power was primarily responsible for the current conflict. It brought together two disparate nationalities living on the island as separate kingdoms into one administration in 1833, and left it as one-state in 1948, with inadequate safeguards for the smaller nation.
Although, Ceylon became independent in 1948, Britain continued to have judicial authority (19) over it till 1972. Appeals by Tamils to the Privy Council against discriminatory actions, some in clear violation of the constitution, received scant justice.
In recent times a few British politicians have called for recognition of Tamil rights (20)
This year, however, in the midst of an international effort for peace negotiations, Britain banned the LTTE, making the Norwegian efforts considerably more difficult.
India, which attempted and failed to play broker (1987-1990) has been vacillating about support for a negotiated solution and foreign mediation. India with its own ethnic conflicts is leery of foreign involvement in what it considers its �own backyard� (21). A Sri Lankan claim that India lobbied to have LTTE banned in Britain is perplexing and problematic (22)
The US policy has been contradictory and unhelpful.
The US State Department reports on human rights for the last few years have been severely critical of the Sri Lankan record. However, the administration has continued to provide military assistance (23) to the very same armed forces it has accused of the human rights violations.
Further, the inclusion of the LTTE in the US list of foreign terrorist organizations has had a serious negative impact on the peace process. This has emboldened Sri Lankan government to continue with its failed policies, with devastating effect on the human rights situation. Simultaneously, the US has lost its ability to constructively engage the LTTE, in advancing the peace process.
The Norwegian initiative is unlikely to make progress in the near term without more vigorous efforts by the international community. Clear and unambiguous policies that would promote the peace process are urgently needed.
1.
AFP [Nov 4 1998] - Visiting British parliamentarians Wednesday offered their �good offices� to try to end the political deadlock and resolve Sri Lanka�s Tamil separatist conflict which has claimed more than 55,000 lives...AFP [Dec 27 1998] - Dec 27 AFP - Sri Lanka has rejected an offer by a British legislator to mediate a settlement to the drawn out Tamil separatist war ... The British MP, Simon Hughes of the Liberal Democratic Party, has been told Colombo will not assist him if he goes ahead with his planned visit to Sri Lanka in the New Ye.... �The government has said that no ministers will meet the British NIP and denied his request to go to the Wanni (to meet the LTTE),� the newspaper reported, adding: �It has made it clear that it will not accept mediation from any individual�...
AFP [Nov 6 1999] - Visiting South African diplomats Friday said President Nelson Mandela has been asked to mediate a settlement to Sri Lanka�s Tamil separatist war...
Note: Sri Lanka mixed this by accusing the South African government of harboring the LTFE. The AFP reported, [15 Nov 1999] �The foreign ministry said earlier this month that it believed the LTTE was shifting its operations from London to South Africa� (later proven untrue). With this Nelson Mandela stopped trying to mediate.
2 RECENT MILITARY HISTORY.
Sri Lanka commenced a major military operation codenamed Operation Jayasikurui in May 1997 to capture areas held by the LTTE. After 18 months of considerable progress, this was abandoned in the face of stiff LTTE resis�tance. The government gains were not only rolled back, but the LTTE advanced further and captured new territory, including large army bases in Kilinochchi & Paranthan (October 1998) and the Elephant Pass (21 December 1999)...
3. LTTE�S REPEATED CALLS FOR PEACE TALKS.
AFP [Sept 6 1998]- Sri Lanka�s Tamil Tiger rebels slammed the govern�ment for prolonging the country�s ethnic conflict and offered to resume peace talks through third-party mediation... �The present impasse is such that it is an independent third party that has nothing to do with this war that can effec�tively build up trust and confidence between the two parties,� the LTTE�s political wing leader Tamilchelvan said...
AFP [Sept 9 1998] - Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga flatly re�jected unconditional peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels... The president told ruling party supporters �she would never have unconditional talks with the LTTE.�...
AFP [Nov 27 1998] - Sri Lanka�s top Tamil rebel leader on Friday proposed talks to end decades of ethnic bloodletting in the country and said he favoured third-party intervention to open political negotiations. Velupillai Prahhakaran, the head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said they had �not closed the door for peace� and called for the �creation of a climate of peace and goodwill to hold peace talks.�...
AFP [Nov 27 1999] - Sri Lanka�s Tamil Tiger leader Monday offered �unconditional talks� with the government aimed at ending the country�s ethnic bloodshed...
AFP [Nov 27 2000] - Sri Lanka�s Tamil Tiger guerrillas Saturday offered third party-mediated talks with the government while expressing �grave doubts� of a peaceful end to the separatist war...
4 LTTE�s UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE
AFP [Dec 25 2000] - The LTTE had announced a unilateral one-month ceasefire and asked the government to reciprocate it in an effort to start peace talks. The government maintains that a truce cannot be called until talks begin. The LTTE said it hoped the Sri Lankan government will reconsider its position on the truce and clear the way for direct negotiations...
AFP [Jan 23 2001] - Sri Lanka�s Tamil Tigers extended their unilateral truce by one month as fighting raged Tuesday in the northern peninsula of Jaffna. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they decided to prolong the Christmas ceasefire to pave the way for Norway�s bid to broker peace in the island
TamilNet, [February 22, 2001] The Liberation Tigers said Thursday they would extend their unilateral ceasefire by another month, and called on the international community, particularly the United States, Britain, the European Union and India to persuade the Sri Lanka government to reciprocate favourably...
TamilNet [March 22, 2001] The Liberation Tigers Thursday extended their unilateral cease-fire for another month, till April 24. but warned they would resume armed operations if the Sri Lankan government refused to reciprocate and continued military operations against the LTTE. Pointing out that it has not launched any offensive operations either in the north-east or the southern provinces or capital, Colombo, during the three months of its unilateral cease-fire, the LTTE said in a statement that 133 of its fighters had been killed in attacks by the Sri Lankan military in the same period...
5 LTTE�s GOODWILL GESTURES
TamilNet [April 07, 2001] The Liberation Tigers on Saturday released four prisoners of war who had been held by them for many years. They were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in the northern Vanni main land LCRC spokesman Harasha Gunawardene told TamilNet. LTTE sources said the POWs were released to show organisation�s support for the Norwegian facilitated peace talks and as a demonstration of its com�mitment to future peace talks...
TamilNet [March 02, 2001] The Liberation Tigers on Friday morning re�leased two Sinhalese fishermen who had been in their custody since last De�cember and handed them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Mallavi in the northern Vanni.
6 GOVERNMENT REFUSAL TO RECIPROCATE
TamilNet, [December 23, 2000] The Sri Lankan government Saturday rejected the liberation Tigers offer Thursday of a month-long �goodwill� cease-fire, asserting that military operations by the armed forces will continue. A statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat also said that �further gestures of goodwill are unnecessary [before negotiations],� rejecting the LTTE�s call to de-escalate the conflict for negotiations to take place in con�ditions of normalcy.
AFP [Jan 25, 2001] - Sri Lanka�s Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Thursday rejected reciprocating a truce offered by Tamil Tigers and vowed military pressure... Wickremanayake also appealed to Sri Lankan youth to join the armed forces for a three-year period to escalate the military offensive against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
7 GOVERNMENT PROVOCATIONS
AFP [Dec 22, 2000] - Sri Lanka launched a fresh military offensive Friday despite a unilateral Christmas truce offered by the Tamil Tiger rebels aimed at reviving a Norwegian-backed peace drive, officials said...
AFP [Dec 30 2000] - Security forces backed by tanks, artillery, aircraft and gun boats mounted the drive at dawn to capture the Navatkuli bridge and open a vital section of the A-9 road that links Jaffna town to Chavakachcheri, the second largest town in the peninsula, defence ministry spokesman Sanath Karunaratne said.
TamilNet, [January 17, 2001] Airstrikes and heavy exchanges or artillery rocked the Jaffna peninsula Wednesday as the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) con�tinued to face determined resistance from the Liberation Tigers, sources close to the LTTE said. Over 100 SLA troops and 70 Tigers have been killed in the past two days, sources close to the LTTE said Thursday evening.
TamilNet, [January 22, 2001] Sri Lanka Air Force jets bombed four villages about 8 km. south of Trincomalee around 5.30 p.m. Monday.
TamilNet, [March 16, 2001] Sri Lanka Air Force jets bombed several vil�lages in the Vanni this afternoon. A refugee was wounded when bombs hit the village of Kombavil
TamilNet, [March 22, 2001] Sri Lanka Air Force jets carried out an hour- long air raid on the eastern remote villages of Miyankalkulam and Kudumbimalao (Thoppikale)...
TamilNet, [April 21, 2001] The Sri Lanka Army launched an intense artil�lery and aerial attack Saturday on the positions of the Liberation Tigers...
8 LTTE WITHDRAWS CEASEFIRE
AFP [April 23 2001] - Sri Lanka�s Tamil Tiger rebels Monday said they would end their one-sided ceasefire from Tuesday and accused government forces of killing 160 of their fighters during the unilateral truce.
9. THE MAHAVAMSA STORY...
�And again thereon the king said again to them: �how shall there be any comfort for me, O venerable sirs, since by me was caused the slaughter of a great host numbering millions? �From this deed arises no hindrance in thy way to heaven. Only one and a half human beings have been slain here by thee, O lord of men. The one had come unto the (three) refuges, the other had taken on himself the five precepts. Unbelievers and men of evil were the rest, not more to be esteemed than beasts. But as for thee, thou wilt bring glory to the doctrine of Buddha in manifold ways�...� [The Mahavamsa; Translated by Wilelm Geiger; Asian Educational Services (1993) p 178]
10. MAHA SANGHA OPPOSES; GOVERNMENT WIThDRAWS.
AFP [Aug 9, 2000] - Sri Lanka�s influential Buddhist clergy Wednesday stepped up calls for the government to scrap a draft bill aimed at ending the country�s bloody Tamil separatist conflict. Sri Lanka�s four most senior Bud�dhist monks have written to legislators of all parties calling for them to press President Chandrika Kumaratunga to drop her draft constitution bill.
AFP [Aug 22, 2000] - Sri Lanka�s influential Buddhist clergy Wednesday issued a �final warning� to the government to completely withdraw a draft bill aimed at ending the country�s bloody Tamil separatist conflict.
TamilNet [August 08, 2000] The Sri Lankan government abandoned Tuesday its effort to introduce a new constitution. Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka, Minister for Public Administration and Plantations, informed the party leaders� meeting in Parliament today that the new constitution bill will not be further debated nor put to vote...
11. SRI LANKA DEMANDS UK TO BAN LTTE
AFP [Jan 21 2001] - Sri Lanka has escalated its diplomatic offensive to have Tamil Tiger separatists banned in line with new anti-terrorism laws in Britain even as Norway tries to broker peace, press reports said Sunday. Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in interviews with the state-run Sunday Ob�server and the private Sunday Times here stressed that failure by Sri Lanka�s former colonial master to ban the Tigers would be an unfriendly act. �The failure of the British government to act against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) would be an unfriendly act imposing considerable strain on our relations,� the minister told the Sunday Observer...
12. PRESIDENT TALKS PEACE...
AFP [Jan 9 20011 - President Chandrika Kurnaratunga has accused Tamil rebels of relbsing to enter Norwegian-backed political talks and vowed to press ahead with a controversial peace plan, a state-run daily said Tuesday...
AFP [Berlin, March 13 2001] - Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Tuesday on a visit to Germany that she was confident her country�s bloody conflict with separatist guerrillas could he resolved...
13. AND, THE PRIME MINSTER TALKS WAR...
AFP [Ian 25, 20011 - Sri Lanka�s Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Thursday rejected reciprocating a truce offered by Tamil Tigers and vowed military pressure until the rebels entered Norwegian-backed peace talks...
14.THE ARMY ALSO WANTS WAR...
TamilNct, (January 05, 20011 The Army declared that �there will be no negotiations with the Tigers. They will be completely wiped put� and warned no protests will be tolerated�...
15. WAR EXPENDITURE INCREASED.
AFP [March 7 2001] - Sri Lanka is to announce new tax measures Thursday in another war budget that has set aside an unprecedented 63.39 billion ru�pees (745 million dollars) for defence, officials here said... Figures tabled in parliament last month show defence spending in 2001 is 63.39 billion rupees, compared to an estimated figure of 52.43 billion rupees last year. However, last year�s actual defence spending overshot the original budgetary allocation to hit anything between 83 to 85 billion rupees (just over one billion dollars), officials said...
AFP [April 1 2001]- Sri Lanka�s air force has taken delivery of six Chinese- built K-8 trainer aircraft to boost its strike power against separatist Tamil Ti�ger rebels, officials said Sunday... The Sunday Island newspaper said the air- force had earlier this year taken delivery of Chinese PT-6 trainer aircraft last month. The air force announced it had bought 50 aircraft within a year. Air force chief Jayalath Weerakkody said in a statement that the force had bought Israeli-built Kfir jets, swing-wing MiG-27 ground attack aircraft, Bell 412 VIP transport helicopters and C-130 transport planes. �All told, over 50 air�craft were inducted in the year 2000/1,� he said...
AFP [April16, 2001] - Sri Lanka Monday received fresh supplies of multi�barrel rocket launchers and tanks in a bid to boost its fire power against Tamil Tiger guerrillas, official sources here said...
16.OPPOSITION TO FOREIGNERS.
AFP [Dec 14 2000] - �The LTTE, like the IRA, need to acknowledge that, whilst a Tamil kingdom constitutionally split from the rest of the island will not receive recognition by Europe, the USA or indeed India, the principle of self-determination would be supported by the international community,� Hain said at the time. But Kadirgamar hit back hard, saying... �I take rather strong exception to that statement (of Hain) because self-determination could very well mean the right to secession...
17.MEDIA INVECTIVES AGAINST ERIC SOLHEIM
The Island Editorial - [23 May 2001] �Norwegian peace broker Eric Solheim is reported to have flown to Washington on Monday to hold talks with US officials... Mr. Solheim - whether he has obtained permission of the Sri Lankan government to hold such talks with US officials or not - is clearly exceeding his brief...�
The Island; Midweek Review [23 May 2001] �Solheim who came back from Mallawi after meeting with Tamilchelvani has gone hack. We do not know whether the Tamil terrorists served him masala thosai for breakfast..."
AFP [Jan 12 2001] Right-wing Sinhala Urumaya, or National Heritage Party, legislator Tilak Karunaratne said they opposed foreign intervention in the Sri Lankan conflict which has claimed the lives of over 60,000 people. �We are opposed to any intervention by any foreign party, and more so in the case of Solheim,� Karunaratrte said in parliament. �He is a playboy who has admitted being with prostitutes in the Czech republic.�...
AFP [June 8 2001] - A top Norwegian envoy who has been trying to broker an end to Sri Lanka�s ethnic bloodshed was left out of the latest talks amid a deadlock in the Oslo initiative, diplomats said Friday...
18. SINHALA EXTREMISTS...
AF�P (Nov 22 20001 - Dozens of Sri Lankan nationalists demonstrated out�sIde the British Council library in Coloinbo Wednesday protesting a visit by Britain�s junior foreign minister Peter Ham, police said...
AFP [Nov 16 20001 - Sri Lankan nationalists demonstrated outside the Nor�wegian embassy here Thursday to protest Oslo�s attempts to bring the is�land�s warring Tamil rebels and the government together to negotiate peace...
AFP (May 24 20001 - A bomb exploded outside the Norwegian embassy here Wednesday hours after Norway�s Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen left Sri Lanka amid diplomatic moves to end the island�s separatist bloodshed...
19.CEYLON - A BRITISH DOMINION (1948-1972)
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was a dominion of the British crown until 1972. Until then the Privy Council of UK was the ultimate court of appeal for the country.
20 BRITISH SENTIMENTS.
AFP [23 November 2000] Hain said it was not realistic to expect the LTTE to abandon their main objective of a separate state called Eelam, but the guerrillas had to accept that there was no international support for such a move. Sri Lanka�s minority Tamils would be better off with greater autonomy and the right to self-determination...
21 INDIA�S REACTION...
PTI [6th January 2001] Colombo Sri Lankan President Chandrika Ku�maratunga and Indian premier A.B. Vajpayee, during their recent talks at Delhi, expressed their aversion to third-party mediation between Colombo and the LTTE...
AFP [Feb 18, 2001] - Norway�s peace attempts in Sri Lanka have run into fresh trouble over the composition of an international panel to monitor a truce between government troops and Tiger rebels, a press report said Sunday. The newspaper, quoting unidentified Western sources said India had objected to Britain and Japan being included in the team that could give them a larger role in a South Asian issue. �India wants to avoid the setting up of any prece�dent that may in the future encourage further interference by the West or the East,� the Leader said...
AFP [March 11, 2001] - Norway�s attempt to broker peace in Sri Lanka has come up against new obstacles with neighbouring India raising concerns over foreign intervention in its backyard, a press report here said Sunday...
22. AFP (March 2 20011 - India lobbied Britain to ensure Sri Lanka�s separa�tist Tamil Tiger rebels were banned as an international terrorist organisation. Sri Lanka�s Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said Friday... AFP IMarcb 4 20011 - �We owe a deep debt of gratitude to India. Unsolicited by us, Jaswant Singh made representations to the British government for the banning of the LTTE.�
23 US MILITARY ASSISTANCE
AFP [April 1 20011 - The United States has stepped up military training for Sri Lankan security forces who are locked in combat with separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas, a press report here said Sunday...
Glossary: AFP (Agence France Presse): A France based newswire agency
PTI (Press Trust of India): An India based newswire service
TamilNet: A Europe based newswire agency that specializes in Tamil affairs. [Sangam Research]
Legal Draft of Proposed Constitution - Article 7
