The statement issued by the Royal Norwegian Government at
the conclusion of the third session of peace talks between the
Government and the LTTE in Oslo -
VIDAR HELGESEN:
The third session of peace talks between the Government of Sri
Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was
held in Oslo, Norway 2nd to 5th December 2002. In a frank, open
and constructive manner, the parties focused on three major
areas:
First, Consolidation of the Ceasefire Agreement
Secondly, humanitarian and rehabilitation action and
Thirdly, Political matters.
On the political matters, the parties agreed on a working
outline defining the objective as well as a number of
substantive political issues for negotiation. Responding to a
proposal by the leadership of the LTTE, the parties have agreed
to explore a political solution founded on the principle of
internal self-determination in areas of historical habitation of
the Tamil-speaking peoples, based on a federal structure within
a united Sri Lanka. The parties acknowledged that the solution
has to be acceptable to all communities.
Guided by this objective, the parties agreed to initiate
discussions on substantive political issues such as, but not
limited to:
- Power-sharing between the centre and the region, as well as
within the centre,
- Geographical region,
- Human Rights protection,
- Political and administrative mechanism,
- Public finance and
- Law and order
The parties recognised that progress on political issues must be
supported by the continued consolidation of the Ceasefire
Agreement. New concrete measures will be taken to facilitate
further de-escalation and to improve normalcy:
- The GOSL will shortly return one of the hotels in Jaffna to
its original use
- The LTTE will ensure that all future transportation of area
commanders will take place under the supervision of the Sri
Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)
- The LTTE will accept the right of political groups to carry
out political work, including in the Jaffna peninsula and the
islands, provided that they are unarmed, as stipulated by the
Ceasefire Agreement
- The GOSL will, in consultation with all relevant parties and
groups, evolve a solution to the problems arising from recent
developments in the Delft Island
- The parties will facilitate restoration and rehabilitation of
places of worship in the north and the east belonging to all
religious communities.
On the basis of their firm conviction that the maintenance of
law and order in the North and East is of paramount importance,
the parties agreed to request the Sub-Committee on De-escalation
and Normalization to propose a common approach to settling cases
involving the disputed use of private property, where such use
has been impeded by the conflict.
Furthermore, the LTTE will ensure that the activities of their
law and order mechanisms will not be extended beyond the areas
dominated by the LTTE.
The parties strongly underlined the need to move rapidly on
humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts in the North and East.
For this purpose, the early establishment of the North-East
Reconstruction Fund will be critical. The parties agreed that
the custodian of the fund should be selected and modalities for
its operation agreed at the next meeting of the Sub-Committee on
Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs. The parties
expressed their appreciation of the strong support extended to
the peace process by several governments at the Sri Lanka
Support Meeting held in Oslo on 25 November, and urged these
governments to rapidly release funds needed for humanitarian and
rehabilitation efforts.
The parties agreed that a committee of women will be instituted
to explore the affects and conclusions of gender issues in the
peace process. This committee will also on a regular basis,
submit proposals relating to women’s interests to the sessions
of negotiations and to the sub-committees of the peace process.
The committee will consist of four representatives of each
party.
As a priority area identified by the parties for humanitarian
action, the parties stressed the need to improve the situation
for children affected by armed conflict. Inspired by the
international norms protecting the rights of the child, the
parties underlined that children belong with their families or
other custodians and not in the workplace, whether civilian or
military. The LTTE will engage in a partnership with the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to draw up an action plan for
restoring normalcy to the lives of children, and the parties
called on the international community to provide financial
support for such an action plan.
The GOSL will, in order to arrive at the broadest possible
consensus, establish an appropriate mechanism for consultation
with all segments of opinion as part of the ongoing peace
process.
And finally, the parties agreed to accept the kind invitation of
the Royal Thai Government to host the two next sessions of talks
at the Rose Garden in Thailand in January and February 2003.
Thank You.
ERIK SOLHIEM
Thank you Vidar. I now give the floor to Dr. Anton Balasingham
chief negotiator of the LTTE to make some initial remarks on
behalf of the LTTE and this important document.
ANTON BALASINGHAM
My dear friends, you would have observed in the statement read
by Mr. Helgesen that both the parties have made an unprecedented
historic decision to work out a political formula for the
solution of the protracted ethnic conflict. The decision as far
as the LTTE is concerned is in line with the policy that we have
been advocating for the last two decades or more. That is, a
regional autonomous model based on the right to internal
self-determination of our people in the historical areas where
the Tamil and the Muslim people live. So, with this autonomous
model or model of self-government that we were referring to, has
to be couched or properly conceptualised within an appropriate
concrete constitutional form. That is what we decided, that we
will opt for a federal model. This federal model will be within
united Sri Lanka which will be appreciated by the Sinhalese
people I suppose.
And I wish to reiterate that our struggle was based on the
concept of self-determination as articulated in the UN Charter
and other resolutions and instruments of the United Nations. I
am surprised because … what has happened is… I had a meeting in
London where I clearly exemplified the concept of internal
self-determination and also the external self-determination and
argued that our leadership is prepared to workout a formula
within the principle – internal self-determination. This speech
has been totally distorted by the Sunday Island. I am surprised
that they claim that Balasingham has said that the LTTE favours
two independent states… or something like that. I haven’t read
the report fully but I can assure you that it is a total
distortion of what I have announced at the London Martyrs’ Day
Conference. I have to read out for your clarification what Mr.
Prabhakaran said in his Martyrs’ Day message.
He has said, “We are prepared to consider favourably a political
framework that offers substantial regional autonomy and
self-government in our homeland on the basis of our right to
internal self-determination”. It is on this basis… it is on the
basis of the proposals made by the LTTE leadership both the
parties have formulated a framework that a federal structure
would be the suitable model to realise the principle of internal
self-determination. So I think this is, as Prof. Peiris always
have said (sic), a paradigm shift. Its not only a paradigm shift
on our part, it is also a paradigm shift on the part of the Sri
Lankan Government to accommodate the Tamil and the Muslim people
within a federal framework in a united country.
So, I don’t want to give you a lecture here but I wanted to make
these three comments before letting you raise questions.
I will now leave it to Prof. Peiris to make his comments.
G L PEIRIS
Well, I think Dr. Balasingham is exactly correct when he speaks
of paradigm shift because that is neither more nor less than has
occurred in Oslo during these last three days of intensive
discussions. It is necessary to understand the sequence, how
this has progressed and reached its present very positive
position. There was the explicit statement by Mr. Velupillai
Prabhakaran on the 27th of November in his Heroes’ Day speech in
which he said that the LTTE is no longer insisting on a separate
state but the LTTE is looking at a different concept in earnest
and that is internal self-determination. And he went on to
explain what he meant. This was power sharing, extensive power
sharing within the framework of one country. No question of
cessation, no question of separation but power sharing within
the framework of one country. It is fair to say that this
statement was foreshadowed in many respects by comments which
were made at the conclusion of the Sattahip session in Thailand
from the 16th to the 18th of September and also in the second
session in Nakhon Pathom Thailand by Dr. Anton Balasingham. He
foreshadowed much of what was said in his speech and it received
the final authoritative articulation by the leader of the LTTE
on the 27th of November.
So that was the point of departure. They are now talking about
power sharing within one country. Now immediately that provided
us with a coherent framework within which to evolve a negotiated
political solution because the position of the Government of Sri
Lanka is also that it stands for substantial power sharing
within one country.
Now the break through yesterday the importance of which cannot
be over-estimated, Erik Solhiem’s so called “something
unprecedented and historic”, indeed it was. And the development
was this - the explicit identification of a federal structure as
the basis on which this political solution is going to be
evolved. So we now have a very clear indication of the nature of
the political solution that the parties are working towards in
order to bring peace back to our troubled country, to put the
war behind us and to put Sri Lanka the on path to peace and
prosperity. So, we are talking of a federal solution. It is not
separatism, it is not confederation… it is a federal model. Now,
if we believe in a political solution, if we are renouncing war…
if we believe in a political solution… there could not be any
other rural tribal except power sharing – except the basis, the
character of a federal solution. Now this means that we will be
able to make substantial progress in the next two rounds of
discussions in Thailand. We have identified on this occasion
some of the specific matters which will need to be focused upon
such as the power sharing between the centre and the region and
also power sharing within the centre. Matters relating to law
and order, matters relating to territory… we have enumerated the
specific matters which will receive attention I the next two
sessions all within the framework of the federal structure that
we have referred to. So that is one part of it.
Then very briefly the other achievement was the solid
consolidation of the Ceasefire Agreement. Because that is the
source from which all these benefits flow. The parties discussed
the problems which have arisen with regard to the Ceasefire
Agreement. We identified the potential source of these tensions
and we figured out ways and means of addressing these problems
in order to prevent these tensions from escalating.
Then, we also talked about the money part of it – the need to
engage in development oriented and humanitarian activity (that
is going to be finalised in the next session). Then a women’s
committee that is to focus on problems which are particularly
acute in the case of women and children in the war affected
areas. And also a decision on the part of the…. of both parties
to work towards the restoration of the religious heritage of all
religions in those parts of the country.
So all in all it was a very substantial achievement which
straddled all the different areas that we are talking about.
Three major areas – one is the political matter, the second is
the Ceasefire consolidation and the third is the humanitarian
and rehabilitation matters. So it was indeed a very satisfying
occasion.
Thank You.
