Archives

by Ranga Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief Gen.Trond Furuhovde reiterated that dismantling High Security Zones (HSZs) for resettlement and cultivation will change the balance of power between the Security Forces and the LTTE, when he met Indian defence expert Gen. Sathis Nambiar yesterday.

"The Head of the Mission informed Gen. Nambiar of the SLMM perspective on the high security zones," SLMM Spokesman Teitur Torkelsson told the Daily News.

"The balance of forces is the basis of the ceasefire agreement and disturbing that balance is disturbing the ceasefire agreement," the SLMM Chief was reported to have said.

The SLMM Chief stressed that the implementation of the ceasefire agreement should be linked to normalisation with balance of power.

"The resettlement in the high security zones must be gradual and controlled".

The SLMM Chief in a media release last December, when the LTTE demand for dismantling high security zones was first made, said: "An unrealistic normalisation programme in the name of progress and development should not be allowed to come into force at the expense of security, as this could undermine the building of permanent peace."

UNHCR, UNICEF and ICRC representatives were also expected to meet Gen. Nambiar yesterday to convey their point of views on high security zones since the LTTE has called this a 'humanitarian' issue.

Retired Indian General Nambiar was appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to submit a report on the impact of dismantling the high security zones. 

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager