Conditions clearing for peace

The fact that the Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, Vidar Helgesen, is in perfect accord with President Kumaratunga on the need to implement the P-TOMS or Tsunami Relief Council proposal, augurs well for the future of the North-East rebuilding effort and for the Lankan peace process on the whole.

The Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister will probably be taking this message to the LTTE leader in Kilinochchi and our hope is that it would have a rejuvenating impact on Lanka's peace process. Hopefully, the vigorous implementation of the P-TOMS proposal would act as a springboard for the relaunching of the peace process which has been in a state of paralysis for the past three years.

We believe the parties to the conflict should from now on act with a sense of urgency and adhere to clearly defined time frames for the expeditious working out of a settlement. It is plain to see that the world community is largely on our side at this crucial juncture and all that is needed is a vigorous pursuit of the envisaged action plan.

On the local scene too, barring a few destructive critics of the P-TOMS or 'Joint Mechanism', the rest of the polity sees perfect sense in the Government going ahead with its plan to rebuild the North-East along with the LTTE and other relevant parties.

This could be the long-awaited opportunity for the entry of the LTTE to the democratic process. Hasn't this been almost everyone's wish? Why cry "foul" now, if that is so?

Peace backers here and abroad are certain to have been encouraged by LTTE political wing chief, S. P. Thamilselvan's observation a couple of days back that the implementation of the 'Joint Mechanism' could lay the basis for a resumption of the peace effort. However, the LTTE needs to clean-up its act at this juncture.

For instance, the brutal killing of its opponents has to stop. We cannot see how the peace process could be pursued amid such barbarity and vindictiveness. The Ceasefire Agreement - we remind the LTTE - should be respected and observed in both letter and spirit. It is high time that the LTTE perceived that such brutality only betrays the peace effort and opens it to more and more destructive, ill-intentioned criticism.

We are glad that the President has also taken up Muslim concerns with the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister. Muslim apprehensions have a basis to them because they too are an important party to the conflict. Like the Tamil community, they too have been inhabiting parts of the North-East for centuries. Moreover, they suffered acutely at the hands of the LTTE.

All in all, conditions are just right for moving swiftly towards setting-up the 'Joint Mechanism' and resuming the peace effort. Let there be no more delays, is our request.