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by Jayantha Sri Nissanka and Ranil Wijayapala

The conditions laid down in the Ceasefire Agreement reached between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been implemented successfully during the first 30 days up to March 24.

All major conditions stipulated for the first 30 days have been complied with, except for certain conditions such as the drawing up of demarcation lines, permission for family members to meet detainees on both sides and a few others.

Monitors will commence the drawing up of demarcation lines next week, a Peace Secretariat official said.

All other vital conditions have been fulfilled by the two parties, such as safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan Army, cessation of military actions by both parties, allowing 50 unarmed LTTE cadres to begin political work in the North and the East, providing information to the Monitoring Mission, disarming of Tamil Paramilitary groups, opening of the Jaffna-Kandy A9 highway, conducting confidence-building measures by both parties, abstaining from hostile acts against civilians, ensuring an unimpeded flow of non-military goods except certain items, opening the Trincomalee-Habarana road 24 hours for passenger traffic, gradual easing of fishing restrictions subject to certain exceptions, parties agreeing to prevent conduct of search operations and arrests under the PTA.

Arrests shall be conducted under the due process of law in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code.

The process of relocating armed forces from schools, religious places and other public places has already been started to be completed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, Military Spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said.

Funds needed for the relocation of these Army camps have already been allocated and the construction of structures needed for the relocation will commence after calling tenders, the Brigadier added.

According to the agreement school buildings occupied by either party shall be vacated and returned to their intended use and the process should be completed by D-day + 160 at the latest.

A schedule indicating the return of all other public buildings to their intended use shall be drawn up by the parties and published at the latest by D-day + 30.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to the Jaffna peninsula instructed defence authorities to relocate the Security Forces at Hartley College, Point Pedro to return school buildings.

The modalities regarding the opening of the A9 Kandy-Jaffna highway on April 8 according to the agreement is now being worked for, a spokesman for the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) said.

"Once the road opens Sinhalese can visit Nagadeepa without any hinderance and Northern people can visit their relatives in Colombo," he said.

According to the ceasefire agreement, there is no specific date for the re-opening of the A9 for non-military traffic. "However, the free flow of goods and passenger transport will resume in due course," he added.

However, article 2.10 of the Agreement says that Specific modalities shall be worked out by the Parties with the assistance of the Royal Norwegian Government by D-day + 30 at the latest.

The World Bank also provided a grant of one million US Dollars (US $ 1,000,000) from its Post Conflict Fund, in two tranches to co-finance the UNDP Implemented Land Mine Action Project.

The objective of the Project is to strengthen capacity at the district level to survey map and address landmines and to support the coordination of training and capacity building initiatives to the clearance of landmines at national level.

The Project will be administered by UNDP and the implementation will be monitored by a Steering Committee consisting of representatives of World Bank, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, other donors and NGOs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Northern Development and Ministry of Eastern Development.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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