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Peace-making: delivering the goods

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasingha clearly means business. When his United Front Government came to power, it was with a firm mandate to win peace. The speed with which he has initiated confidence-building measures such as the lifting of the economic embargo and relaxing of security restrictions demonstrates his readiness to fulfil that mandate.

As this long-drawn-out war, with its numerous failures and tragedies, has shown, Colombo may decide on measures to redress grievances of ethnic minority groups but their effective implementation in the relevant regions is often blocked or carelessly implemented by an un-sympathetic or un-inspired officialdom.

Clearly, the Prime Minister is aware of the dangers and has ensured that his ministerial colleagues were in the field supervising matters from the very day the Government announced its confidence-building measures.

Minister Jayalath Jayawardena, no stranger to the war zone because of his tireless travels over several years on both sides of the war front, has been visiting the North constantly to see that preparations for the lifting of the embargo were under way. Minister Milinda Moragoda, one of the most vocal advocates of political collaboration for peace, soon joined him.

On the day the embargo was lifted, no less than four Ministers - Jayalath Jayawardena, Milinda Moragoda, Gamini Jayawickrema Perera and John Amaratunga - were present at various points in the North to ensure that the flow of supplies to the Vanni began without a hitch.

This kind of commitment to ensure that the goods are delivered will go a long way to build confidence in the peace initiative. Success at this point provides the foundation for success in the larger, longer term process of evolving a political settlement of this complex and protracted conflict. Failure or an inefficient delivery at this stage will bring disillusionment and failure overall.

The Government needs to ensure that this commitment and professionalism at the outset of renewed peace efforts is sustained in the long haul. That is the only way.

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