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Landmark on the road to peace

With the coming into effect of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Government and the LTTE, an important milestone could be said to have been passed on the road to peace in Sri Lanka. On Thursday, Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris was quoted as saying in this connection that "a historic development will occur within the next 48 hours". We not only welcome this historic breakthrough in efforts to resolve the conflict here by peaceful means, but also hope that it will serve as an important cornerstone in the enterprise of consolidating peace in Sri Lanka.

As would have been observed by perceptive sections, the document which has been signed by the hitherto warring parties, makes provision for more than a ceasefire. What is in focus is a cessation of hostilities, which means a cessation of all hostile acts by the parties to the conflict. In a twenty year-long conflict which has bled this country white, this is no mean achievement. What needs to be appreciated repeatedly is that the guns have fallen silent in the North-East theatre of war and that human life is being protected and even revered. Since reverence for life and its preservation is a basic tenet of all religious faiths in Sri Lanka, the current cessation of hostilities should be regarded as a major step towards the humanisation of the country.

The ardent wish of most well-meaning persons in this land is likely to be that the terms of this agreement would be fervently respected by the parties to the conflict. The forward movement of the peace process depends considerably on how successfully the terms of this accord are observed and unless there is a strict adherence to the stipulated conditions, the consolidation of the peace process could not be expected.

However, the track record of both parties so far, on observing their respective unilateral ceasefires has been generally speaking, good, and we hope this spirit of cooperation would persist. The cynics are likely to react to this observation by pointing to reports of what seemed to be LTTE arms smuggling and Thursday's incident off the coast of Mullaitivu, as proof of the difficulties of implementing the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

What needs to be understood is that incidents of this kind are likely to recur as long as the terms of the agreement are not clearly comprehended. This process has just begun and mistakes are likely to occur on the way but the monitoring mechanisms are already in place to minimise the occurrence of developments of this nature. If the will to find peace prevails, the terms of the agreement will be better understood and observed as time goes by. However, some teething problems should be expected.

Much remains to be achieved. The agreement to cease hostilities is an important stepping-stone, but by no means the clinching deal. Meanwhile, the people need to be informed of all major developments in the peace process. More and more confidence-building measures need to be put inplace to inspire mutual trust between the parties to the conflict. Above all, we need to persist in a spirit of good will and brotherhood in negotiating a final political solution.

• Editorial of  The Observer -  22.02.2002
  A step at a time
  

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