The West must wake-up

THE Government's efforts to resolve our conflict by political means have been substantially boosted by a statement made by the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Richard Lugar, that the peace exercise has the full support of the US Congress.

This is indeed encouraging news and on this score alone Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera's current visit to the US could be said to be a success.

An 'yes' from the US Congress for the Government's peace process should further energise the State's search for a Southern consensus and we call on it to proceed towards this basis for a negotiated solution with unflagging zeal, now that a vital segment of democratic opinion in the West is unambiguously siding with it.

After all, the US is considered as being synonymous with democratic vibrancy and a 'yes' from this citadel of representative governance in the West should be seen by the Lankan State as a strong vote of confidence in it.

Hopefully, this positive opinion trend would spread rapidly in particularly the West and we would have a substantial segment of global opinion with us as we soldier on to a negotiated settlement.

Of the Western states which are with Sri Lanka in these challenging times, the US could be said to be one of the most balanced in its approach to our conflict. To begin with, it is continuing to keep the pressure on the LTTE by keeping it on its list of prohibited terror organisations.

Quite understandably, the US would reconsider this decision only on the LTTE proving that it is done with terror. If, for instance, the Tigers renounce terror, down arms and join the search for a political solution, they would presumably be taken off the terror list.

This is a most sensible approach to the LTTE and we hope many more states would take the cue from the US on this score.

Unfortunately, the West is yet to speak in one, clear voice on this question. Despite the LTTE proving that it is still committed to terror, it is continuing to receive tacit and not so tacit support from some sections of the West.

Perhaps, this duplicity is rooted in the fact that they are yet to see and experience political terror in all its Satanic destructiveness. The US, on the other hand, has seen terror in all its heinousness and this accounts for its unambiguity on LTTE terror.

As could be seen, there is no let-up in this land in the murderous terror unleashed by the LTTE. Right now, such violence is posing a sizeable threat to the ongoing efforts at bringing peace.

Sri Lanka welcomes clear statements of support for our peace effort from the world community and is deeply appreciative of them but the dire need is concrete, palpable action by particularly the West which would convince the LTTE that there is no alternative to cooperating with the State in working out a political solution.

There needs to be a consensus of opinion in the international community on this issue. Only a concerted, forceful drive by it to take the Tigers to task for their terror would compel the LTTE to come to the negotiating table, for, it would realise that it has no external support base worth speaking of.