UK brokers peace breakthrough
Since independence in 1948, a number of agreements between governments and Tamil leaders on autonomy for Sri Lanka’s Tamil regions have failed, following violent demonstrations by the respective opposition party - usually the UNP or PA’s main constituent the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
In a surprise move, Britain’s Foreign Office minister Liam Fox has brokered an agreement between Sri Lanka’s ruling People’s Alliance (PA) and the main opposition United National Party (UNP) reportedly paving the way for peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The agreement says that discussions or decisions between the government and any other party, including the LTTE, undertaken in concurrence will not be undermined by the opposition. Either party will also fully honour such decisions on election to government.
Based on the bipartisan approach developed by the British in the Northern Ireland conflict the deal was developed during a series of diplomatic exchanges set up after British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind’s visit to Sri Lanka in September last year. President Chandrika Kumaratunge and UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe finally exchanged letters on 3 April agreeing that the government in power will seek advice from the opposition leader on significant developments relating to the ethnic conflict.
Since independence in 1948, a number of agreements between governments and Tamil leaders on autonomy for Sri Lanka’s Tamil regions have failed, following violent demonstrations by the respective opposition party - usually the UNP or PA’s main constituent the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).
The historic significance of the April accord was not lost on other political parties and foreign governments who have warmly welcomed the agreement. Sri Lanka’s NGO-based National Peace Council says that the specific mention of negotiations with the LTTE in the agreement is encouraging.
Denying contacts with the LTTE were already underway, the British High Commission in Colombo said Mr Fox’s discussions were confined to the two political parties and that a secret visit to Mullaitivu in March by LTTE International representative Lawrence Thilagar was not linked.
Analysts claim Mr Thilagar obtained the consent of Tiger leader V Prabhakaran to seek a negotiated settlement through third party mediation. Hardliners say however that the Tigers have not changed their stripes and the six months of peace signals from the jungle are an elaborate ruse.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was adamant that his government was not contemplating foreign mediation and reiterated the conditions for peace talks with the LTTE - substantial laying down of arms and completion of peace talks within an agreed time frame. Despite the denials, observers believe, the British government would not have become involved without some kind of signal from the LTTE.
Sunday Times columnist Taraki says a Tiger source confirmed that Mr Thilagar’s visit to the Vanni was initiated by a Western government. The Colombo press claims LTTE deputy leader Karikalan who is either in the UK for further discussions or is waiting in an un-named Latin American country where talks will begin. The LTTE has in recent months been insisting on foreign mediation as a condition for peace talks. Tiger London spokesman Anton Rajah says political negotiations must be preceded by withdrawal of government troops from Jaffna.
Mr Kadirgamar has rushed to India for a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement and brief New Delhi on developments. While Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Nareshwar Dayal welcomed the agreement, observers say New Delhi may fret over the involvement of Western nations in Sri Lanka. As the regional superpower, any agreement without India’s assent is doomed to fail, analysts say, particularly if it grants recognition to the LTTE directly or indirectly.
New Indian Prime Minister IK Gujral appears more willing to resolve regional problems than many of his predecessors and some say London has already negotiated safe passage through India to the talks for LTTE leaders.
The agreement may also rescue the devolution package, the PA’s much maligned solution to the ethnic conflict. In late March, Justice minister GL Peiris released 18 chapters of the proposed new constitution. By late April the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Reform had still not reached agreement on devolution of powers to the regions. Some members of the Select Committee say there was no consensus even on the 18 chapters released. A sub-committee of the Select Committee is debating whether the government peace proposals should be officially sent to the LTTE.
A month on, and the main brokers of the PA-UNP agreement, Malcolm Rifkind and Liam Fox are historical footnotes as the ruling Conservative Party was swept from power at the British general elections on 1 May. Whether the new Labour government will adopt the same policy towards Sri Lanka is unclear. Reports that Sri Lankan general elections may precede a national referendum on the devolution may also sink the agreement from within after unprecedented violence during the local government elections in March.
Meanwhile, the government and the LTTE prepare for a showdown in the Vanni. Arriving refugees say troops are being massed in Vavuniya and Kilinochchi, for an Army push to retake the main road between the two towns and open a land route to Jaffna. Taraki says over 1,000 LTTE cadre have been moved to the Vanni from Batticaloa and Amparai districts.
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