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No Government - LTTE agreement yet - Prof. Peiris

by our Parliamentary Correspondent

Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris told Parliament yesterday that there was no final document as yet of an agreement between the Government and the LTTE.

There had been a series of discussions held by Norway with both the Government and the LTTE and several documents drafted.

However, this is still in an evolutionary process. Nothing has crystallized into finality yet, he said.

The Minister was responding to fears entertained by the JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa who was making a statement in the House on a matter of "National Importance" claimed to have received the final document of an agreement between the Government and the LTTE in which the Government had conceded a veritable Eelam to the Tigers.

Prof. Peiris said that there was no agreement as of now.

"The statement made by Mr. Weerawansa is certainly premature. There is no final text that is available of an agreement between the Government and the LTTE.

As soon as any agreement is reached a statement will be made to the country by the Prime Minister in a spirit of candour".

"There had been a series of discussions which we have had with the representatives of the Norwegian government. Norway has been talking both to the Government and the LTTE. There have been several documents which have been prepared. It has not yet crystallised into finality.

This process is developing everyday. Even last evening there were several detailed discussions at Temple Trees. We are trying to give, shape, form and content to an agreement which we believe will lasting peace to the country.

I am in a position to assert that the provisions or purported provisions referred to by MP Wimal Weerawansa are not authentic. It is therefore not possible to embark upon a detailed analysis of these provisions or to comment on their implications as the Member endeavoured to do. There is no agreement as of now which we can comment on.

When the final agreement is scrutinised it will be evident to everyone that there is a significant element of continuity. There was a Cessation of Hostilities agreement that was negotiated in 1995. As we all know there was a truce that was in place between the 8th of January and 19th April, 1995. Many provisions reflected in that agreement will also be found in the present agreement. It is therefore not a completely new point of departure."

MP Wimal Weerawansa said: "I am obliged to you for giving me the opportunity to bring to the notice of this House a matter of national importance. It has been announced in numerous ways that the current ceasefire between the LTTE and the UNP government is scheduled to end on the 24th of this month and that this Government is scheduled to enter into an MoU with the LTTE to make it a year-long continuous ceasefire. Further it has been exposed that this MoU has been prepared by the Norwegian government.

The contents of this MoU signed between this Government and the LTTE supposed to create a year-long ceasefire as have been revealed only by certain English media, have nowhere been dismissed as false by Government or the LTTE or the Norwegian authorities. We have unofficially received the copies of the relevant MoU which has been drafted by the Norwegian authorities.

We identify the following, as the more serious provisions of the MoU of which we have already received copies unofficially and some clauses of which, have been revealed by some English media.

01. This MoU is to be signed by the Sri Lankan government and the Tiger movement. It has been prepared accepting that both parties maintain their own armies and that each party has specific areas under its control. Accordingly, this MoU has officially recognized for the first time that there are specific areas controlled by the LTTE. Furthermore this MoU has placed the Tiger terrorists at an equal level with the Sri Lankan military forces.

02. According to the MoU which we have received both parties (that is, Sri Lankan military forces as well as the Tiger terrorists) have permission to make recruitment and train their forces. However, it will be permitted only in so far as it maintains the respective status and strength of each, as on 24.12.2001.

Honourable speaker,

What it maintains is that the MoU will not allow the Sri Lankan government to increase its military power further than what it was on 24.12.2001 while this will grant the Tiger terrorists the same status given to the Sri Lankan military forces, the LTTE recruitment and training will not be hindered by this since they are being conducted secretly.

03. The other serious condition laid down by clause 1.4 is that each party must initially be confined to the respective territories under its control.

What it means is that while the Sri Lankan forces must be confined to the areas under the control of the Sri Lankan Government, the LTTE must be confined to areas under their control, respectively. As such, the MoU has definitely accepted that there are areas under the rule of the LTTE. Further, it has given a tremendous boost to promote internationally, the myth that the LTTE is an independent armed organization ruling a certain area.

The other most serious matter is that this makes it clear that the Sri Lankan forces cannot bear arms in areas supposed to be ruled by the Tiger movement. Either the Government armed forces will hand over those areas to the Tigers and comeback or else, they will be confined to their barracks". 

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