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| Tuesday, 10 June 2003 |
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by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi reporting from Tokyo Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi yesterday called upon the LTTE to immediately return to the negotiating table. Making the inaugural address at the opening session of the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka at the Akasaka Prince Hotel, the Japanese Premier said the Conference will be an opportunity to demonstrate a strong and unified commitment on the part of the international community to the peace process in Sri Lanka. " The international community must show its resolve to support, in concrete terms, reconstruction and development in all of Sri Lanka including the war-torn North and East, " he added. Japanese Premier noted that if such support were to help the Sri Lankan people to enjoy the tangible benefits of peace, their own determination to continue efforts toward a durable peace would be even that much more firm and steadfast. He also said it was disappointing that the LTTE is not attending the conference." Japan urged the LTTE to participate in this conference up to the last minute, in cooperation with the Sri Lankan Government and other concerned countries." "Nonetheless, this conference represents a precious opportunity for the members of the international community to join together so as to support the Sri Lankan people's strong desire for peace." Japanese Premier went on to explain that it would have meant an irreparable loss to the long-suffering Sri Lankans if this conference had not been held as scheduled. "So I am highly pleased that the conference opens in Tokyo today as scheduled with the active participation of so many countries and international organizations. "He emphasized that the assistance afforded by the international community must help to move forward the peace process and such assistance should be implemented in tandem with progress in the peace process itself. " The international community should thus carefully review and monitor that process. On the other hand, the two negotiating parties should not assume that any assistance committed to this conference will be provided to them automatically." Premier Koizumi also said the implementation of this assistance by the international community will be closely linked to steady progress in the peace process made by the both parties through their own efforts. " In this regard, I am deeply concerned over the current suspension of the peace talks and I call for the LTTE to immediately return to the negotiating table." He hoped that a peaceful resolution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and accompanying acts of terrorism will become a successful model for others if a durable peace is achieved." Such a victory would give courage to and inspire hope in all those many others all around the world now victimized by ethnic conflicts and acts of terrorism." He also said " several challenges have yet to be addressed before a peace can be achieved in Sri Lanka. There remains a difficult path before negotiating parties as they seek to reach their final goal. But many people in Sri Lanka are now strongly hopeful of achieving a durable peace and are giving their ardent support to the peace process initiated by President Kumaratunga and now led by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. " I am sure that as long as such enthusiastic support exists among the Sri Lankan people, peace is surely achievable someday. I sincerely hope that the day will come in the near future when Sri Lanka, once devastated by ethnic conflicts and acts of terrorism, will be highly admired by the international community as a state that has achieved a durable peace through patient negotiations", the Japanese PM said. |
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