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by Rashomi Silva

Vasudeva Nanayakkara, the leader of Democratic Socialist Front (DSF) says the peace process has so far been a success. However more transparency is called for in the entire process. Taking the peace message to the grass roots level and including a broader spectrum of representation in the negotiating team would yield better results, he said.

The peace opposing segments consist of the JVP and some elements in the PA led by Anura Bandaranaike and Mangala Samaraweera are involved in petty politics that are characteristic of them. "The allegations they levelled at the peace process contradict one another," he says.

"Their imprudent acts and petty politics will ultimately lose them the credibility coming from their own rank and file," Nanayakkara observed.

Q: How do you view the progress of the ongoing peace process?

A: We in the DSF are happy about the achievements so far. The parties so far have been able to address knotty issues without an ultimatum approach.

Considering the intensity and length of the conflict between the parties, and the hatred and the suspicion they entertained for each other the peace process may be said to be progressing satisfactorily. All the problems that have arisen can be considered as minor. However one cannot expect overnight results. One has to be patient to get results.

Even though no substantial agreement has been reached it was agreed by the parties that the negotiations will be based on the principle that there will be no separate state and the Tamil people will be given their just right of internal self-determination. That is the policy of our party too. However external determination should not be allowed to any particular region or an administrative unit as that will pave the way for a separate state.

The absence of the military conflict in itself is a great achievement. It is obvious from the conduct of both parties that they are willing to give up armed struggle as an alternative and are genuinely committed to a negotiated settlement. Those who cast suspicions on the LTTE do not have any basis or a materialistic foundation to justify their claims. The speculations are based on hatred. They create evidence that do not exist to justify their unrealistic allegations and predicament that never materialised.

Q: There is much criticism levelled at the LTTE regarding the ceasefire violations. How do you view this?

A: The violations can be expected from the LTTE as they are largely a military and widely dispersed organisation. They depend very much on self reliance units. The ceasefire violations by the LTTE are most probably the acts of the self reliance units and the LTTE top most hierarchy may not be aware of that.

Q: Are you happy about the transparency in the entire process?

A: All we know about the peace process is only upto the extent to which the parties are revealing to the mass media. Perhaps the parties involved are deciding how much they should communicate to the public. I feel it is important to form a council representing different communities in Sri Lanka to act as a consultative body for the on going dialogue and in reaching a final settlement.

The final settlement as well as the process of evolving a settlement should carry the stamp of democracy in it. On no condition can we accept a totalitarian power in any part of the country as a conditional settlement.

The other important aspect in the process is to persuade the Sinhalese people to accept the rational and just rights of the Tamils and the Muslims for self-government in the areas inhabited predominantly by the Tamil and Muslim populace as their villages. If they (the Sinhalese) do not want wish to use the term traditional homeland.

Q: How do you view the role of the Norwegian facilitators?

A: The best way to judge Norway's mediation is by the result they produce. They have spent lot of money for our case. And similarly they have helped out to settle disputes in other countries. It is a part of Norway foreign policy to facilitate peace processes in the world. However the allegations that certain parties made that Norway is a pawn of American imperialism are unfounded.

US imperialism would want to have a strong military foothold in Sri Lanka. It will be only possible by recommencing the armed struggle and not by strengthening the peace process. However U.S. imperialism would seek economic advantages in peaceful North-East in an united Sri Lanka as they are presently doing in the South. Therefore the peace process has become a common factor between anti- and pro imperialism. On the contrary, the war will only open the doors for imperial military entry. Thus the allegations levelled at Norway are not only unfounded but self contradicting.

The JVP seems to be believing that they can win the sympathy of the majority of the Sinhalese population backing the SLFP and other extremist elements if they took up the slogan of 'No division of the country'.

(According to them any form of power devolution including federalism and Provincial Councils is division of the country). JVP, although they claim to be the strongest left party in the country one cannot say that they are true leftists. They are not authentic and genuine in their activities.

They oppose imperialism but collaborate with notorious pro-imperial characters like Anura Bandaranaike and Mangala Samaraweera. This in itself is a contradiction. By doing all that the JVP will lose their remaining credibility coming from its own rank and file.

Q: What are the shortcomings in the ongoing peace effort?

A: I believe the peace process should not be confined only to the LTTE and to the UNP as it is done today. The representation should cover a wider base. Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Communist Party (CP) two of the constituent parties of the PA, some section within the PA including the opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, are supportive of the peace process and the government should try to win those sections and try to make them active participants of the peace process.

They (government) must not make excuses to exclude the supporting section due to the imprudent views of certain elements in the PA. The government has to take more effort in taking the peace massage down to the grass roots level. They (government) should establish institutions for this purpose or make use of the existing institutions like NIPU.

The mass media has a big role to play in the peace process. They should make grounds for the constitutional structure envisaged for settlement to be a topic of discussion among the people of all ethnicities.

The legal and constitutional experts should be more encouraged to express their views and show the ways in power devolution in an united country, through the different media.

The government should pay more attention to the Muslim dimension. However the conflict had been between the government and the LTTE and not between government and the Muslims.

But the Muslim issue should be taken on an equal basis but certainly not with equal priority. If someone says that equal priority should be given to the Muslim issue it is not only a miscalculation but that also will divert the entire course of the negotiations into a different avenue.

Q: A big controversy arose in the country on the issue of allowing a radio transmitter to the LTTE, your comments?

A: The LTTE wanted a radio transmitter allegedly to strengthen the peace process. And the Norway government was willing to help, I do not see what the government could have done other than what the government did and made sure that the equipment was in fact a radio transmitter by conducting routine inspections.

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