LTTE a dangerous foe - JVP

COLOMBO: The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna while describing the Geneva talks as a step in the right direction from the point of view of regaining Sri Lanka's sovereignty has cautioned the Government to guard against complacency bearing in mind that the LTTE was a dangerous foe.

In a statement issued by its politburo the JVP notes that unlike the previous so-called peace talks in Thailand, Norway and Japan the present Government was not supine in front of the LTTE and Norwegian demands.

The preparation for the talks were completely transparent unlike before when there were no All Party Conference to discuss the views of political parties and exchange ideas.

"Unlike the previous teams the Government this time did not bend over backwards to appease the LTTE. This marked the first time that the LTTE was forced on the defensive and conceded points to the Government," the statement added.

It said the government's agenda was designed in keeping with Mahinda Chintanaya. From the time the talks started, the GOSL team pointed out the faults of the LTTE's opening statement and succeeded in getting the LTTE to concede much more than they ever had in any previous talks.

Unlike the previous team, the GOSL team this time did not bend over backwards to appease the LTTE. This marked the first time that the LTTE was forced on the defensive and conceded points to the GOSL negotiating team.

Having said that, however, the JVP is in complete disagreement with the joint statement presented at the conclusion of the talks. This joint statement seems to have been drafted by the Norwegian 'facilitators' and is overtly contradictory to Mahinda Chintanaya. We regret that the GOSL team agreed to be a party to such a statement after having successfully negotiated for two days.

The next round of talks will be held once again in Geneva and there is much hope by the Government as well as the people of Sri Lanka that this round of talks would lead towards a lasting solution to the armed conflict. The JVP, however, begs to differ.

We do not believe that the LTTE tigers will ever change their stripes. Their objective, as always, remains unchanged and we urge the Government not to be lulled into a false sense of safety and become complacent. GOSL should be ever vigilant of the LTTE and ensure that they do not once again gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Therefore, we recommended after analysing the results of the talks, the GOSL be aware of the issues that still remain unresolved and be watchful that complacency does not set in. LTTE is a very dangerous foe and as such, we must at all times remain extra careful in our dealings with them.

The JVP believes that the only way to keep the LTTE at the negotiating table is to strengthen the armed forces. In prior rounds of talks, the Government was lulled into a sense of false security which enabled the LTTE to further strengthen their forces.

During the past four years, the Government neglected to create and maintain a strong military which put the government of President Rajapakse in a very difficult situation during the past few months. We must not repeat this mistake.

A strong military is the most important, if not the only, deterrent to the LTTE's separatist ambitions. While continuing the dialogue with the LTTE, the GOSL should also ramp up its strengthening and training of the armed forces so that the LTTE will realise that going back to war is not an option for them. In prior rounds of talks, the LTTE was successful in weakening the Government forces while continuing to strengthen their armed cadres.

A return to war, a threat that the LTTE always used against the government. Unfortunately, previous governments were so scared of going back to war that they caved into LTTE's demands.

This attitude by the Government weakened their bargaining position. By having a strong and fully prepared military at their disposal, the Government will be negotiating from a position of strength.

The GOSL should 'speak softly and carry a big stick', which will greatly negate the LTTE threat of a return to hostilities.

In the next rounds of talks in April, the GOSL team should actively work to rectify the mistakes made at the previous round of talks. We are of opinion that the GOSL team did well up to the point of the joint statement. These mistakes should not be repeated and those mistakes made should be rectified in future rounds of talks.

In future, all steps taken at the negotiation table should be in full accordance with the JVP's agreement with President Mahinda Rajapakse and his vision for Sri Lanka, Mahinda Chintanaya. We firmly believe that it is better to walk away from the negotiating table without any progress being made, rather than agree to any conditions that would be detrimental to the sovereignty of Sri Lanka.