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Advisory Council on Peace begins dialogue



The inaugural ceremony of the National Advisory Council for peace

The National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR) was inaugurated on Monday, 4th October. It was a gathering of distinguished personalities from religious groups, the civil society and political parties.

The meeting convened by President Chandrika Kumaratunga was held at the Old Parliament Complex in Colombo's Fort area.

After the President's opening address, legislators of all hues voiced views candidly and made their proposals to find a lasting solution to the protracted national crisis, the conflict in the North and East. The dignitaries of the four major religions in Sri Lanka also expressed their views.

The Maha Nayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter, the Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala said, when one contemplates on peaceful resolution of conflicts in a realistic manner, both victory and defeat should be renounced.

Quoting Lord Buddha he said,

"Jayan Veran Pasavathi
Dukkhan Sethi Parajitho
Upasantho Sukhan Sethi
Hithwa Jaya Parajayan"

The winner creates hatred in the mind of the loser. The loser lives in sorrow. One who lives in equanimity lives in tranquility.

The Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Oswald Gomis said if we were to usher-in peace we must have the strength of mind to believe we need peace and that we must have peace.

"We have had many seminars before such as this one but I don't know if we had that strong determination to solve this problem." The Archbishop stressed that no peace can be achieved while having disputes among political parties and religions. "Our own past experiences prove that divided we fall, united we stand," he said.

Vidyanithi Brahmasri S Kuhananda Sharma spoke on behalf of the followers of Hinduism. He praised the proposal of late Prime Minister S W R D Bandaranaike to establish regional councils, he appealed to President Kumaratunga to consider the establishment of the same. He said he believed that it would contribute largely in solving the ethnic issue.

Vidyanithi Sharma urged the President to resume peace talks without any further delay. "There may be hindrances to our target but we should not withdraw. That is the expectation we have of the President" he said.

Moulavi M H M Buhari, the Islamic religious leader said, "Islam considers working for peace - worship".

He thanked that the newly set-up NAC and said it has provided a platform to openly discuss grievances of minorities. With regard to the peace process he said 'the final solution should be acceptable to all'.

Minister Douglas Devananda Leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) who was once a Tamil militant leader fighting for a separate state spoke next.

"I have been a gun-carrying militant leader; I have fought the Armed Forces of the Sri Lankan state and fought for the establishment of a sovereign independent state comprising of the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. But I am also one of the many Tamil militants who gave up the arms struggle and joined the democratic mainstream of the country following the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement of July 29, 1987."

Echoing the Tamil voices he said that a vast majority of the Tamil people of this country are yearning for a political solution within a united Sri Lanka.

EPDP leader laid down its "features of a solution" to the ethnic problem:

Substantial powers be devolved to the province through a new constitution

Permanent merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces

Special arrangements to safeguard the Muslims and Sinhalese in N&E

The right to negotiate and enter into agreements with regard to foreign loans and funds for development activities

Ensure secularism in the Sri Lankan state

Sri Lanka to have a non-executive President and a non-executive vice President from two different ethnic groups

Armed forces, Parliament, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to reflect the ethnic composition of the country.

Both Sinhala and Tamil be made official languages

Minister Devananda also made two separate "permanent" appeals to the LTTE and the southern political leaders through the Council.

"If you really have the interest of the Tamil people at heart," he requested the LTTE leadership, "please return to the negotiating table. If you would do so and help to work out a political solution, the Tamil people will forgive you for the numerous killings you have carried out in their name."

In his appeal to the Southern leaders Devananda urged them to rise above petty party politics and act with statesmanship.

Minister Ferial Ashraff, Leader of National Unity Alliance (NUA) said, "There is one thing all the political parties of our country - those who are present at this meeting and those who are not - agree on. That is, solving the ethnic problem should be our priority. But we have not been able to come to a common agreement to work towards it so far."

Ms. Ashraff emphasised that finding a solution to a national problem is not purely a responsibility of the ruling party.

"If we agree that it is the participation of the people that is needed to usher in peace and not political power, we would be able to come to a national consensus for peace very soon," she said.

Mr. A Thondaman the leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) was of the view that permanent peace cannot be reached unless a conducive primary stage is built for the parties to begin a dialogue.

"For such a situation to develop there is a need for the government to get the main opposition party on board," he said.

"ISGA is merely an opening gambit and I can't imagine why talks can't commence and proceed."

Wimal Weerawansa, Propaganda Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), another party which renounced militancy and entered the political mainstream expressed the JVP's stance. He said that the final solution should reflect the aspirations of all the peoples of Sri Lanka and not just the LTTE.

"The only boundary our island nation has is the Indian Ocean which surrounds it. We are for a solution through a negotiated settlement only if it does not compromise the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

Being a part of this Council does not mean we all share the same opinion with regard to the peace process. We certainly have different views but that should not be an obstacle for us to talk.

We must unite to find a solution now and not wait till the ethnic war becomes a war between two countries."

Dr. Godfrey Gunathilaka Acting Chairman, Council of Fellows, Marga Institute represented the civil society. Dr. Gunathilaka was of the view that "the CFA and the negotiations that proceeded demonstrated the urgent need for the broad participation of the people in the peace process"

"The civil society as a whole sees the establishment of this council as a timely response to this need and a logical and a necessary extension of the peace process," he said.

Professor Tissa Witharana Secretary of Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) insisted that the resumption of talks should be quickened. "Even if the basis for talks is on a narrow basis and not for our satisfaction we still have to start talks".

He added, "With the opening of a dialogue we would be able to break through barriers of mistrust and doubt and rebuilt the trust."

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Deputy Leader M.M. Shaheed, who attended the meeting despite the absence of his party, said a Muslim delegation should be an integral part of the next peace delegation.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar shared the view of the international community. "We have many friends in the world. A large number of countries - big and small, rich and poor - are concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and wish us well. There is a great deal of good will for us. They want to see Sri Lanka whole again."

He asserted that the international community wishes for a permanent solution within a united Sri Lanka.

Minister Kadirgamar said he is pleased to see one of the promises of President Kumaratunga fulfilled through this Advisory Council which opens a door for a broad discussion.

"To talk about a problem does not mean that you agree in advance with all the solutions that are going to be addressed. A dialogue is open ended. When you start a dialogue you are saying to everybody 'come and say what you have to say'. No body is pre-empted.

To decline to enter into a dialogue, in my opinion, is unhealthy. In a democracy nobody should say I am boycotting something because I don't like it. Stuff and substance of democracy is to descend into the arena of debate. If there is a dialogue being arranged come and join it.

Nobody loses; everybody gains by coming and joining a dialogue. No positions are compromised, everything is open. People can join, talk and walk out if they want later."

He said that the very fact that we have a ceasefire is a great blessing but that we must move from a ceasefire to negotiated settlement now.

Source: http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/
ca200410/20041008advisory_council_on_peace.htm

From: "Office of the President, Sri Lanka" [email protected]

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 2004 01:34:32 -0700

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