Positive development on peace

The news that the UNP is fully supportive of Government efforts to resume the negotiatory process with the LTTE with a view to resolving our conflict peacefully once and for all is exceedingly heart-warming.

Here is a sure indication that the possibility exists of establishing the hitherto elusive "Southern consensus" on resolving the ethnic conflict peacefully.

Considering the fact that the SLFP and the UNP are the major political parties of Southern Sri Lanka, agreement between them on the gut issues in the peace effort could be considered as laying the groundwork for a consensual approach in Southern Sri Lanka to ethnic peace.

We hope that now that a breakthrough has been achieved in enlisting the support of the UNP in resuming the peace process, the State would continue on its bold path to clinching a peace deal with the LTTE.

The Tigers, on the other hand, should consider it incumbent on them to seize this opportunity for resolving the conflict by peaceful means.

It will be important for the parties to the conflict to realise that there is no question of one party imposing its views on the other in the peace-making context.

Inasmuch as Southern Sri Lanka should adopt a consensual approach to resolving the conflict by making compromises among themselves, the Government and the LTTE should be willing to negotiate in a spirit of give-and-take to arrive at a peace agreement which would meet the legitimate aspirations of all our communities.

Often, the LTTE forgets that extreme demands cannot be met by the Lankan State. Peace could be finalised only within specific policy parameters, such as extensive devolution which would answer the legitimate political aspirations of all our communities.

The State cannot say "yes" to separatist tendencies, for instance. Therefore, all parties to the conflict would need to negotiate in a spirit of compromise, deeply mindful of each others sensitivities.

Meanwhile, the Government and the UNP would need to continue their dialogue on resolving the conflict with the utmost cordiality and mutual respect.

The need of the hour is a bipartisan approach between them and a spirit of truthfulness in their talks would go a long way towards clinching a Government - UNP consensus on resolving the conflict peacefully.

The communication channels between the Government and the Opposition should not only be open but the negotiatory process transparent and accountable.

The Government would need to keep the Opposition closely informed of developments in the peace effort while a frank but not acrimonious exchange of views between the paries should be the defining features of the dialogue.

At this juncture the lessons of the past would need to be borne in mind by the Government and the Opposition.

It is plain to see that political opportunism, on the part of mainly the Opposition, torpedoed many a peace deal in the past. We hope this approach to the problem would be studiously avoided by the Opposition. Short-term political gain, we hope, would never be their aim in this exercise.

A consensual approach to peace between the Government and the Opposition could be arrived at through a sharing of credit for progress in the peace effort. Peace should be seen as a victory for both the Government and the Opposition and not the sole preserve of one party.

By devising the means of thus sharing the credit for peace, the State could pre-empt any efforts by the Opposition to undermine the peace process by seeking to make short-term political gain out of it.