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Monday, 11 February 2002  
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A halt to the war

The Norwegian delegation that visited Colombo last week brought with them a draft cease-fire agreement or a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed by the Government and the LTTE on a structured ceasefire. Prior to coming here, the Norwegian had a lengthy meeting with the LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham in London.

The government had, now, put its finishing touches ton the draft. The document is expected to be signed before February 24, when the two parallel cessations of hostilities by the LTTE and the Government would end.

This is good news. The war-weary people, especially those in the war zone will have a sigh of relief that they would be able to pursue their day to day activities without hindrances. It will also be a respite for the combatants.

The cease-fire will give the government time to pursue humanitarian assistance to the people in the war zone and to begin and continue urgently required rehabilitation and re-construction work.

The ensuing period should also be used to improve and enhance people to people contact between the residents of the South and those of the North and East.

The majority community, the Sinhala people must show the Tamil people that they are not rabid chauvinists as they are portrayed by extremist elements that have vested interests in perpetuating the division of the two communities. Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities have lived for centuries in amity and brotherhood. The have many cultural and social links. Moreover, they are bound by common economic ties, which were unfortunately severed by the war.

The development of these multi-faceted ties will go a long way in establishing a climate more conducive to the beginning and continuation of negotiations between the Government and the LTTE on substantive issues involved.

A significant development facilitating such North-South links is the opening of the A9 highway linking Jaffna with Kandy, which is scheduled for February 15. It should be placed on record that both the Government and the LTTE had been zealously engaged in de-mining important stretches of this road with the able assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN agencies.

Free passage of goods and people along this route would ease many economic burdens that are faced by the people of the North. I will also serve as a conduit for the transport of the produce of the North, which will be mutually beneficial to the Northern producer and the Southern consumer.

The truce that is to be officially announced should be carefully monitored and nurtured so that people on both sides of the ethnic divide will safely look forward to fruitful negotiations between the two combatants to usher in lasting peace to our land. 


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