A sound basis to build on

The crucial, ice-breaking two-day truce talks between the Government and the LTTE have ended on a positive note in that the parties have not only pledged to respect and uphold the Ceasefire Agreement but also announced that a further round of talks would be held between them in Geneva from April 19 to 21st.

Thus, the State-LTTE engagement continues and so does the peace process. This pledge to meet and perpetuate the dialogue process is as vital as the promise to uphold the ceasefire. Face-to-face contact and the venting of grievances by the parties enable them to acquire an understanding of each others points of view. Besides, it prevents animosities from building-up and reaching boiling point.

Consequently, violence and armed confrontations and clashes would be contained on the ground. Herein lies the importance in sustaining the State-LTTE engagement. All in all, therefore, satisfactory results have been reaped by the State through its efforts to get the LTTE into the dialogue process.

The likelihood is great that the talks would make a qualitative transition to discussing the gut issues in the conflict if the LTTE strictly adheres to the terms of the Ceasefire Agreement and permits a peaceful climate to take root in the North-East. The last couple of months witnessed the grave consequences flowing from the LTTE brazenly violating the terms of the CFA.

Such actions raised the possibility of the country returning to war. Conversely, if the LTTE observes the CFA, this possibility could be greatly reduced.

However, interminable talks which do not yield positive, concrete results would not prove effective either. Now that the respective sensitivities and sore points of the parties to the ceasefire talks have been bared, a special effort needs to be made by both sides to address such grievances.

Mere talks without progress in resolving these grievances could bring destabilising consequences, as it did in the case of the previous rounds of talks. For instance, the LTTE must desist from violence, uphold the rights of all communities and refrain from child conscription, while the State must ensure that all illegal armed formations are neutralised. Thus would mutual trust be built and the basis laid for substantive negotiations.

In other words, more and more confidence-building measures are needed for the promotion of peace. Both sides need to ensure that verifiable, concrete progress has been made by them by way of meeting all the terms of the CFA, before they meet for talks. Terms of the ceasefire should be progressively achieved before the search begins for a negotiated settlement.

While the State needs to measure-up to the challenges the peace process throws-up, the SLMM, our facilitators and the relevant sections of the world community also need to throw their full weight behind the peace process.

There is no getting away from the need to ensure that the country has a meaningful and effective ceasefire. Whatever the LTTE may say, it was evident over the past four years that the Tigers are the chief violators of the CFA. The SLMM records alone would prove this.

Accordingly, the international community should not lose sight of the need to keep the pressure on the Tigers while the State moves enterprisingly foward to negotiate an equitable settlement.