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Urges LTTE to show "more understanding" Govt will abide by country's legal framework - PM

by Ananda Kannangara

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared yesterday that the LTTE has to be a "little more understanding" of the issues involved in the ethnic conflict, saying "what is being demanded is not what can easily be delivered".

"Reality has to play its role. Demanding is one thing, delivering is never straightforward.

As a responsible government we have to abide by the rules and laws of the land," Prime Minister Wickremesinghe told the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.

The Premier emphasised that the Government would seek solutions "within the framework of the laws of our country". The people will be consulted before a final solution to the conflict is implemented, he assured.

"The recent statement by the LTTE that they no longer sought a separate state is a source of great encouragement to us.

After so many years of living in a divided state, to be able to bring the two communities back together is an important objective."

Wickremesinghe also appreciated the contribution by the LTTE to the flood victims in the South and said that this kind gesture showed further progress in rehabilitating our communal relationship. The Premier said the break in the peace talks allowed this Government to re-evaluate the last 15 months.

"We have learnt the lessons of past peace initiatives.

We realised that any attempts towards peace had to be genuine and that we would have to work hard to make them happen."

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appreciated the importance of the re-commencing peace talks with the LTTE at this crucial moment and said that unless the Government succeeds this time with all of the international and national goodwill the country will be consigned to the backwaters of history for a further 30 years.

"Under such circumstances our people not only will become increasingly impoverished but also our industries will struggle to compete in the world markets and as a result many more people will die in a conflict without meaning," Prime Minister Wickremesinghe told the gathering.

He said that anyone who has visited the North and the East will have noticed the utter devastation and the misery in which so many people were living their lives. "For us the choice was obvious to alleviate that misery as quickly as we could."

He emphasised that the permanent ceasefire agreement was the next obvious step. "There has been much discussion about this agreement but any sane person will see that it permitted us a breathing space and an opportunity to talk."

We have already commenced the de-mining program, the rehabilitation of over 100,000 internally displaced people, the establishment of local industries especially fishing and farming and establishing medical and food supplies.

The life of the people in the North and East have dramatically improved. Allowing our fishermen to fish the rich grounds around the Northern coasts has seen a substantial increase in our fishing catches.

Similar effects have been seen in farming.

As land is cleared of mines and farmers are able to get back on to the land we have seen a bumper paddy harvest and substantial increases in the production of market garden crops.

Referring to the Government's "Regaining Sri Lanka" programme the Premier outlined that this program will drive out poverty and create jobs while building a sound economy through reform and liberalisation in a big way.

He said that the Tokyo conference will create the investment potential to build the sustainable development across the whole island in the years ahead.

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