Our endeavour is to array peace loving people under one banner - Somawansa

COLOMBO: The Japanese Special Envoy on Peace and Development Yasushi Akashi had a special discussion with the JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe at the JVP Headquarters, Colombo, on Monday.

At this meeting they discussed at length the Ceasefire Agreement, the prevailing condition of war in the country, the suicide bombers in action, the power sharing solution, a federal alternative and the direction of the international community among other matters. Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Akio Suda was present with the Japanese Special Envoy.

Somawansa Amarasinghe spoke underlining his Party's stance on the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka and stressed that the objective of the JVP is to establish a multiracial, multicultural, multireligious and multiparty democratic, unitary state in Sri Lanka.

In answer to the Japanese Envoy's comment that the situation of the conflict is day by day getting worse and that a war between the Government and the LTTE will never be won by either party, Somawansa Amarasinghe agreed that a solution by discussion is the best way but he cannot agree at any cost that the Government is incapable of winning a war. That is an under estimation of the potentials of our security forces, he said.

The Sri Lankan Government is a democratically elected, legitimate Government with a people's mandate to defeat terrorism. What we experience at present is not a war but an attack by terrorists. We have a Head of State who won the people's mandate to defeat terrorism.

Somawansa Amarasinghe requested the co-chairs of the Donor countries not to fall a prey to the trap laid by Norway. Japan is the best of our friends who help Sri Lanka tremendously. We, Sri Lankans are not prepared to subjugate ourselves to colonialism. Our endeavour is to array the entire peace loving population under one banner to defeat separatism and terrorism, he emphasised.

He said the JVP is opposed to summoning an outsider by way of a Peace Keeping Force because ours is not a Government that is incompetent. The international community that speaks of the security of our country must show their cooperation not by word alone but by action. Countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India and Australia proscribed the LTTE in their countries as a terrorist organisation. We call upon the rest of the international community to follow suit, Somawansa urged.

The Japanese Special Envoy answering Somawansa Amarasinghe agreed to pay due attention to this aspect. Answering Yasushi Akashi's comment whether the Government is not obliged to uphold the ceasefire, Somawansa said there is nothing left to uphold in a non-existent ceasefire after the brazen attack on the Army Commander which has to be construed as an open declaration of war. He called upon the foreign diplomats to open their ears to the people's cry that terrorism has to be defeated only by war.