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by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The President is firmly committed to the devolution of power and the proposals on the devolution of power as submitted by her party in August 2000, President's Media Spokesman Harim Peiris told a media briefing yesterday.

He said President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga put forward these proposals, widely discussed with other political parties, as an "excellent starting point" for negotiations.

In fact, the August 2000 proposals had a southern consensus which many Government politicians always talk about, he added.

"The President firmly believes that the current mismanagement and misconduct of the peace process is certainly not a method of achieving a durable solution. But a durable settlement of the ethnic conflict requires and a political solution that deals with the causes of the ethnic conflict," he said.

"The LTTE must recognise that whatever Government exists in Sri Lanka, the process of political engagement and direct negotiations would continue.

"It is based on resolving the problems of the minority through a devolution of power. The President firmly believes that is not a problem," he said.

"If the LTTE wants to talk about other matters they can do so - if they have a different agenda or if their agenda is not entirely restricted to solving the problems of the minority. But this is something that must be very clearly noted."

He said the security situation in Trincomalee is extremely grave. "There is a real threat to the military installations in Trincomalee arising from the LTTE camps established after the MoU. This is the reality."

Trincomalee is extremely important because it channels supplies to the entire northern area not just for the military but even for the civilian administration. Accordingly, if Trincomalee was not in Government hands, the ability to have any Government presence in the entire North and East would be also impossible and even the reports of the UN Pacific Command has clearly defined this, he said.

Trincomalee is strategic to the North. If Trincomalee was not there, the Sri Lankan Government presence, military or civilian in the entire North and East is seriously compromised.

"This is most important fact. Some time ago I asked why the LTTE is talking peace while preparing for war. But now even the talks have stopped since April. So without progress on the political front, there is strategic redeployment and preparation for war by the LTTE."

The Government says that if the Sri Lankan Forces are rearmed, the LTTE should also be allowed to rearm. But the Sri Lankan forces are redeploying their forces strategically. We are not entering into Mullaitivu or something like that. Therefore the Government's principle of equality is ridiculous," he said.

The President takes very seriously the Prime Minister's denial of the ground reality and also absolutely unfounded allegations made against the Forces Commanders that they are trying to push the war and to have a militaristic situation.

The President is deeply distressed that the Prime Minister is making these unfair allegations against the Forces Commanders as well as causing a complete breakdown of the morale of the forces at a time the security of the Sri Lankan State is severely compromised.

He said the LTTE is also acting like Talibans in some instances bulldozing and destroying places of Buddhist worship and archaeological interest particularly such as Lankapatuna. These facts gathered by the President's Office has been forwarded to the relevant Minister. "No action has been taken in this regard by the Government." The President has received information through Muslim leaders in the East that Muslim youth are increasingly becoming militant.

They argued that the security provided by the Government is inadequate and they need to take arms for their protection.

Some of them are taking preliminary measures with regard to their own self protection.

This is extremely grave and the President believes this is a very serious lapse on the part of the Prime Minister and the Government, he said.

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