Sinhala Dracula in UN

TNA criticizes SL President's UN speech

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=12962

[TamilNet, September 24, 2004 01:11 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge's speech at the United
Nations General Assembly "does not reflect true factual position...We
urge the President to refrain from making rhetorical statements and
focus on resolute action that would enable the recommencement of talks
and meaningful consensus-building that would ensure the success of the
negotiations," said parliamentarians from Tamil National Alliance
(TNA) in a press statement released Thursday.
The full text of the TNA press release signed by Mr.R.Sampanthan,
parliamentary group leader of the TNA, Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan,
President of the TELO, Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, General Secretary of
the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi, Mr.Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam,
General Secretary of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress and Mr.Suresh
Premachchandran, Secretary General of the EPRLF (Suresh wing) follows:

The Parliamentary Group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) met on
September 23 2004 to consider the statements made by President
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge relating to "Peace Negotiations" in
Sri Lanka during the course of her address to the 59th session of the
United Nations General Assembly.

The President has stated that "the Government of Norway has been
playing the role of facilitator for the negotiation process, for
nearly six years. We have taken the process forward with the active
participation of Norway, even though at present the LTTE is refusing
to return to the negotiating table from which it withdrew nearly
eighteen months ago."

Most regrettably, the above statement does not reflect the true
factual position for the following reasons:

After several rounds of peace talks between the LTTE and the then UNF
government, the LTTE in April 2003, for certain reasons, without
withdrawing from the negotiation process, suspended its participation
in peace talks. The LTTE however continued to be in contact with the
facilitator, the Government of Norway and through the facilitator with
the then UNF government.
In consequence thereof, the LTTE put forward proposals in writing for
the setting up of an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), on 31st
October 2003. Simultaneously the LTTE requested that dates be fixed
for the commencement of talks on this said proposals.
On 4 Novemer 2003, within four days of the LTTE's ISGA proposals, the
President in the exercise of powers vested in her under the 1978
constitution took over from the UNF government which enjoyed a
majority in Parliament, the Ministries of defense, Interior and Media,
which were directly linked to the peace process, and assigned the said
portfolios either to herself or to nominees from within her party.
This action of President resulted in the facilitator, the Norwegian
Government suspending its role in November 2003, in view of the lack
of clarity in regard to who was responsible for the peace process.
The ensuing stalemate resulted in the dismissal of the then UNF
government, the dissolution of Parliament and the installation of a
new Government after the General Elections held in April
2004.President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge heads the new United
Peoples Freedom Alliance Government which is an alliance between the
Peoples Alliance (PA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).
That the JVP campaigned and continues to campaign country wide against
the peace process is well known. It has in fact, threatened to leave
the Government and bring about the downfall of the Government, if the
President commences talks on the ISGA proposals.
However, at the meeting the President had with the Parliamentary Group
of the TNA on 10 June 2004, the President while expressing her
reservations in regard to some of the ISGA proposals, unambiguously
stated that she was prepared to commence talks on the ISGA proposals,
without linking such talks to any other issue. The Government has
hitherto not taken any action to implement this commitment.
It must not be forgotten that the initial reaction of the PA to the
ISGA proposals was totally negative. The PA thereafter knowing very
well the attitude of the JVP entered into an alliance with the JVP.
This alliance resulted in the hardening of the position against the
ISGA proposals and against the peace process. The President's
inability to take the peace process forward is clearly attributable to
this situation. The President's alliance partner within the
Government, the JVP, has heightened its opposition to the ISGA
proposals and the peace process. It is significant that the main
opposition party, the United National Party (UNP) has urged the
government to commence talks on the ISGA proposals and has publicly
stated that it will support any agreement that is arrived at between
the government and the LTTE after such discussions.
The LTTE has repeatedly stated that it is eagerly awaiting the
recommencement of the talks on the basis of the ISGA proposals, and
that when the talks commence, any proposals that the Government may
bring to the negotiating table in regard to the ISGA could also be
discussed. This consistent position was once again conveyed to the
special envoy of theNorwegian Government at a recent meeting.
In this background, the statement made by the President in the course
of her address to the United Nations that "the LTTE is refusing to
return to the negotiating table" is singularly unfortunate, as it does
not reflect the true factual position. The lack of clarity, the
contradictions within her own government, and her inability apart from
making pronouncements to take definite action to commence talks are
the main stumbling blocks to the recommencement of the peace process.
It is pertinent to point out that in the context of the LTTE's request
for dates to be fixed to commence talks when it submitted its ISGA
proposals on 31 October 2003, the LTTE would have been at " the
negotiating table" in November 2003 itself, but for the actions taken
by the President on 4 November 2003.
The TNA also questions the President's statement that " comprehensive
development strategy has been launched in the North and East of the
country which are affected by the conflict".
While the TNA acknowledges that the international community has been
providing some measure of humanitarian and development assistance to
alleviate the deprivation and suffering of the Tamil civilian
population in the North-East, hundreds of thousands of displaced Tamil
people in the North-East yet continue to languish away from their
homes, awaiting the implementation of a comprehensive programme of
action that would resettle and rehabilitate them. This task, together
with the task of reconstructing the devastated North-East can be
accomplished only by a duly constituted Interim Self Governing
Authority for the North-East.

We urge the President to refrain from rhetorical statements and focus
on resolute action that would enable the recommencement of talks, and
meaningful consensus-building that would ensure the success of the
negotiations.

The Tamil people in the North-East more than anyone else yearn for a
peaceful resolution of the conflict. The Tamil people strongly urge
the President not to miss the opportunity that presently exists, to
take the peace process forward by commencing talks with the LTTE on
the ISGA proposals, in accordance with the assurance given to the
parliamentary Group of the TNA on 10 June2004.

The TNA desires to point out that the President has used the forum of
the United Nations General Assembly, attended by Heads of Governments
to present a distorted picture of the current peace process. An
enunciation of the steps that the President contemplates to take the
peace process forward could have greatly contributed to building
confidence. The TNA emphatically states that the present peace
stalemate should not continue.